Is Your Love Strong Enough?
by Metatron85
Summary: Sequel to "Edge." Tori and Jordan's husband Nathan have been captured and are now at the tender mercies of a sadistic killer. Jade and Jordan must find them all while in the middle of nowhere and with precious little time. Jori plus OC pairing.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: Here it is at last, the sequel to "Edge."**

**I am so excited to go back to these characters again.**

**Majority of the credit goes to FuckTheReaper, who convinced me to go forward with this. **

**Please read and review**

**;-)**

* * *

McCarran International Airport (LAS) is the main hub of Clark County. Tens of millions of travelers (many of them tourists) who flock to Las Vegas annually must go through this large airport. What made LAS unique is the 2,000 plus slot machines. Jade West was working the slots for almost four hours. It took some searching but Tori Vega, her girlfriend, tracked her down with the help of TSA. Fortunately for her, the security had a sense of solidarity to the LAPD captain.

But collecting her girlfriend proved easier said than done because during those hours, Jade was consuming drinks. And apparently, the more you lose the more you drink. And the more you drink (and continue to lose) you get very loud.

"Babe," Tori sighed angrily while tapping Jade on the shoulder. "About time I found you. Let's get a move on."

"No," Jade flinched. "I'm finally starting to turn this thing around." The pale woman unabashedly gripped the lever and pulled it down. The reels spun wildly until settling on two apples and a "BAR". Jade kicked the machine and growled in disgust, her black hair strewn over the gambling contraption like a blanket.

"Tell me," Tori started. "How much did you start with?"

"Three hundred and fifty," Jade replied muffled through her buried face.

Tori rolled her eyes. "And how much do you have left?"

"Thirteen dollars."

"Alrighty," Tori sighed, attempting to lift Jade off her stool. "Think its time to walk away, hmm?"

Jade put down her must recently finished drink on the top of the machine.

"Why don't _you get lost_ while I make my _comeback, hmm_?"

Tori rubbed the inside of her cheek with her tongue, surveying the situation. Suddenly it flashed into her mind what she had to do. But she was going to give Jade one more chance to go quietly.

"Are you going on the plane, or what?" Tori's hands on her hips.

"No!"

Tori got a grip of Jade by the neck with her arms and brought them close to her chest. Jade's arms and legs flailed like mad until her movements became more and more somber. After a few seconds, the dark-haired woman went limp in the arms of the half Latina. Tori then began to exit the casino, dragging Jade along with her.

* * *

The road of a nearby plane taxying in snapped Jade from her slumber. Once she opened her eyes, the bright Nevada sun glistening off the white of the jumbo jets blinded her which forced her to turn her head. Immediately, she was eye to eye with Tori.

"Hey, sleepy" she grinned cheerily.

Jade cracked her neck. "You used that sleeper hold shit on me again, you bitch."

Tori studied the Goth's face, realizing what started as a question turned into a full accusation.

"Yeah, what of it?"

Jade raised an eyebrow. A small part of her had to admire how incredulous her girlfriend has gotten since high school. She had the wherewithal to be a first class pain in the ass bitch if the situation called for it. That didn't mean she had to like it nor stand for it.

Tori had only done that sleeper hold on Jade once before. Again, she was drinking. It was the night of Thanksgiving and the pair went to go Black Friday shopping that night. Jade was still buzzing from the wine at dinner (which was late). Tori just wanted sparkling cider; she wasn't that much of a drinker but Jade insisted on something as sweet but harder.

So to compensate for the alcohol content in her system and being tired from helping cook dinner; Jade decided to compensate by drinking two Red Bulls - one before they left, and one on the car ride over. The combination made Jade into an irritable (more so than usual) but functional zombie. After a fight broke out between Jade and a very large soccer mom over a $250 iPad mini - Tori, being the nearest police compared to the security at the mall, was forced to step in and diffuse the spat before it turned violent. With one deft move, Tori turned a belligerent Jade into a docile one.

A former MMA fighter joined the force and taught the beat cops some unarmed combat techniques for non-violent subduing. Ironically, Tori didn't have to use her teachings in the field. Just with her lover. Fortunately, the academy taught Tori the "firefighter" method to carry a full grown man over her shoulder. Jade's form, luckily, was a meager 140 pounds soaking wet.

Jade woke up about an hour later, hung over and without her coveted iPad mini. Naturally, she was really pissed at Tori for essentially knocking her out and right now on this Southwest flight to Los Angeles brought back some rotten feelings.

"I'm sorry Jade" Tori giving the sad doe eyes. "But I had to do it. You were causing a scene."

Jade leaned in. "I. Was. Not."

"Excuse me, Miss" a male flight attendant smiled at Jade. "But the captain had turned on the fasten seatbelt sign."

"Thanks, _Steward_" she gritted her teeth. "But I can understand a blinking symbol."

"Jade, please" Tori whispered.

The flight attendant cleared his throat and stood straight. "I'm sorry but I need to let the captain know that everybody..."

"First of all, I don't give a fuck" Jade pointed in defiance. "Second, he's not in the military - quit calling him _captain_, he's a fucking pilot! And third...what good is a seatbelt. It's not a car - its a plane. If we crash into the mountains and are burning alive, what could would a seatbelt be?"

* * *

"And that's when they kicked us off the plane," Tori told Jordan in the B terminal.

Jordan and her husband Nathan joined Tori and Jade to go to Las Vegas for a crime investigation convention that lasted three days. Over the course of that time, Tori and Jordan were privy to the latest in urban pacification techniques, scientific analysis, profiling algorithms, and other hot new tools. There was even a representative from _Wired _magazine who unveiled the first operational prototype of a drone; a flying robot with surveillance equipment to be eyes and ears for the police and FBI.

This was all incredibly fascinating for the two cops but their significant others were beyond bored sitting in their hotel rooms. And now they were all trying to get home when this happened.

"Can't you get on another flight?" Nathan suggested. "Maybe a different airline?"

Tori turned her head toward Jade who was sitting at the end of the row of chairs, arms crossed.

"We could but we are stuck. You see according to FAA regulations, an outburst on a plane gets you barred from flying all that day." Tori pointed to her girlfriend. "But in her case, she was added to the NO FLY list."

"That sucks," Jordan said suppressing a giggle.

"And as much as I would love to fly back home and send little miss sunshine on a greyhound to L.A..." Jade shot daggers at Tori. "I guess I just love her too much."

"I'm honored," Jade sneered.

Nathan chuckled. "I guess you're grounded young lady."

The man immediately was on the receiving end of a "look that could kill" from all three women and he just as quickly stopped smiling.

"So what do we do now?" Jordan asked.

"_We_?" Tori replied with a question.

Jordan nodded. "That's right. I don't think its right to leave you guys stranded."

"That's nice," Tori smiled. "But we can always rent a car."

"Wait a minute," Jordan's face lit up. "I just got an idea."

"What?" asked Nathan.

She turned to him. "Babe, doesn't your sister live about an hour or so away?"

"Uh, yeah" he nodded. "Over in Flagstaff; where we grew up."

"Right," Jordan grinned. "So, I thought why not make it a road trip for the four of us?"

Jade was suddenly standing nearby the trio. "Wait, we're going to Arizona now?"

"What do you think babe?" Tori asked. "I'm still on vacation for three more days."

"Anything to do in Flagstaff?" Jade asked Nathan.

He shrugged. "Depends on who you ask."

The pale woman rolled her eyes and stared at the redhead who suggested the who excursion.

"And once we're there," Jordan added. "We are only about three hours from the Grand Canyon."

"I've never been there," Tori mused.

"I thought that was in Colorado" Jade replied.

Jordan shook her head. "The Colorado River runs through it but its located in Arizona."

Jade exhaled and slouched her posture.

"Eh, what the hell. Let's go check out the big hole."

* * *

Ira Murray was chained against a wall, blood on the left side of his face was beginning to dry.

The creaking open and slamming shut of the door at the top of the stairs made him stiffen.

"Oh good" said the voice from the darkness. "You're still here."

He finally came close enough for Murray to see him. He had a small box in his hands. Looked like the kind a watch would come in.

"I'm afraid that it didn't work."

All Murray could managed was an inaudible moan.

"I'm sure to do better next time," he grinned.

Murray looked down and saw inside the box, on a bed of cotton, was his severed left eyeball.


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: Thanks for all your terrific reviews. Glad to see I'm not the only one who wants to go back. **

**Just for clarity's sake, we are about two years after the events of the first story. **

**First, let me thank all of the followers I have had the privilege to acquire over time: Lushcoltrane, Quitting Time, Invader Johnny, Jeremy Shane, ScottyBgood, Timeless Reader and the rest who haven't chimed in yet (but I'm patient.)**

**Special word about FuckTheReaper. What a talented writer and very special person that I have been lucky to get to know via PM. Go to her profile and read her stories when you get the chance. If you don't have the time, make the time. **

**Now onto Chapter 2...**

* * *

Our gang went to Enterprise and rented a 2013 Jeep Wrangler Rubicon at Nate's suggestion. The 4-wheel drive would come in handy on the rough desert terrain. Jordon offered to driver until they got to Arizona and then Nate, who was riding shotgun, would take over the rest of the way to Flagstaff. Tori and Jade were in the back, watching the sights of the sin city go past.

Tori had her gaze fixed on a man and woman dressed in wedding garb but in the guise of Star Trek bridge personnel. She wondered about those two, probably picked on all their lives for their interest in fantasy and geek culture. But that didn't matter right now because here they were, married and so happy to have one another. As the vehicle eased to a stop at a red light, Tori tapped Jade to get her attention.

"What?" she asked, mildly irritated.

"Look," Tori pointed and smiled out her window.

Jade leaned over her girlfriend's lap to get a better look.

"Aren't they just adorable?"

Jade sniffed. "I guess Vulcan ears would be too cliché."

Tori kissed that spot between the edge of Jade's face and her ear, right where the jaw connects. She knew it made her girlfriend melt, they way it made her tingle. Jade looked back at Tori, still hovering over her lap until the light finally changed.

"Makes you think, doesn't it?" Tori mused.

"About what?" Jade asked, sitting back down.

Tori leaned against her window, breathing deeply. "A wedding."

Jade bit her lip in anticipation of where Tori was going to go next in this conversation. She had successfully skirted the issue for the past two years but here they were trapped in a car with her girlfriend as visions of dresses and flowers and invitations danced in her head.

"Tori..." Jade warned in her stern tone.

"Oh come on, baby" Tori exaggeratedly pouted. "We've never talked about it."

"Crap," Jade muttered under her breath.

Jordan glanced at the rearview mirror to see the burgeoning discourse behind her.

"You never thought about getting married one day?" Tori asked.

Jade just sat there, at a loss for words.

"What? You don't think we would be together down the line?"

"No, no, no, no, no" Jade protested. "I didn't mean that. I just don't see why I need to get a piece of paper for something that's in my heart."

Tori closed her eyes and sighed. "Jade, you just don't get it do you?"

"What?" her tone growing more annoying.

"How can you be so selfish?"

"What do you mean, Vega?"

"Do you not understand how much of a struggle it has been for all these years to make it possible for people like us to get married in California? Do you have any idea how many people want to stop women like you and me from being happy? Do you have any clue?"

Jade folded her arms in defiance. "I am _not_ marrying you _just to make a statement_."

"And what statement is that, Jade? That you love me? That you want to spend the rest of your life with me? Because I feel the same way."

"I'm sorry," Jade clicked her tongue. "Didn't both of our parents take similar vows?"

Jordan and Nate winced simultaneously. There were few topics that pissed off Tori Vega that were off limits. One of them was speaking of her father in a negative light, Trina's death, and her parents' messy divorce. Mostly because it grew organically from her mother's infidelity and her absence from both David's funeral and her only surviving daughter's life was evidence of her black heart.

"We...are...not...them, Jade" Tori replied in measured tones, keeping an eye on her blood pressure.

"It's not just ours" Jade shot back. "You forget I have been on the streets for years. I had first hand experience of men _and_ women who gave a rats ass about their marital commitments. You act like being a wife is something dignified, like a sense of honor is attached to it."

Tori shook her head. "I love how you're trying to boil it down into something mechanical or perverted."

"I see," Jade nodded. "I get the picture. You just like the ownership. Never mind that I'm your girlfriend; being your wife has greater weight. It's the ownership factor times a hundred. You want to tell the world that I belong to you."

"I pledged myself to you Jade," Tori's eyes were ablaze. "After all the shit we've been through together - how do you not see that you have my heart? I'm all yours. Aren't you mine?"

"You won't be happy unless I'm Mrs. Tori Vega, huh?" Jade leaned in close and summoned enough oomph from her diaphragm. "Well SCREW YOU!"

Jade sat back down and an angry Tori stared out the window. What the pale woman couldn't see was the half Latina crying. After over an hour of unbroken silence, Jordan saw a sign for a rest stop and got into the off ramp at the last possible second, sending everybody in the car side to side.

The rest stop was a meager building where weary travelers can buy a newspaper, use the bathroom or get something to eat. Truckers can buy load locks, books on tape, and other amenities at the interstate store. They can even catch a shower after driving for days on end. Once Jordan found a decent parking spot, she turned off the car and looked to the backseat.

"Everybody out," she ordered.

Jade, Tori and Nate all complied as Jordan herself exited the vehicle.

"Okay," Jordan began to walk around the car like a drill instructor. "We are going to recharge and get shit squared away before we move on." Jordan pointed to Tori "You, hit the ladies room. I've done stakeout with you - your bladder must be crying by now." Jade smirked but it suddenly vanished when the redhead settled her finger on her. "Jade, go get yourself some coffee. Your company is already touch and go; I do not need you deprived of caffeine." And finally, Nathan. "And your stomach has been growling for the last thirty minutes. Go get yourself a cheeseburger or a Snickers or something because that radio aint loud enough to drown you out."

The three nod and murmur their respective compliance before going their separate ways.

Jordan scooted onto the hood, taking out a cigarette. "And one more thing." They all turn around. "We are not leaving until you two have made up. I refuse to drive a car full of Miserable Marys thought the fucking badlands."

Tori and Jade just looked at each other. Nate gave his wife a look of slight doubt but he forced a smile. Jordan just sighed in return, making a small smile in response. After about five seconds, her phone buzzed and she checked the screen only to see an 'I Love You' text from Nate. Jordan took a long drag from her cigarette and exhaled a puff of smoke.

As she watched the grey forms dance in time until disappearing; Jordan thought about how she could barely remember the last time her and Nathan fought. She counted her blessings and just wished that her partner and friend would do the same.


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: I swear you guys are the best with the caliber of reviews I have been getting on the last chapter. I must be doing something right if I can have two characters arguing and readers see both sides to the issue. I will try to PM you guys as often as possible but my already busy schedule just got more hellishly out of control. **

**You thought things got tense in the car? Wait. **

* * *

Jade walked back to the jeep, holding a fresh cup of Columbian blend in hand.

"Sit," Jordan ordered.

Jade raised an eyebrow to the presumptuous redhead. Jordan was almost the anti-Cat. Jade shrugged and sat beside her.

"So," mumbled Jade as she eased into a casual sip of her coffee.

"You _know_ what we have to talk about."

"There's nothing to discuss," protested Jade.

Jordan shot her a look. "Oh, I think there is."

"Are you suggesting that I give in to Tori?"

She shook her head. "I didn't say that, Jade. And I'm not saying that you're completely in the right."

Jade groaned. "Then _what_ then?"

"You _both_ need to remember that there are _two_ of you in this relationship and you can't have one storm off and break off all communication."

"Look, I didn't start this..."

"But you sure as hell ended it," Jordan cut her off. "Listen, I'm not going to say that Tori didn't entrap you back there but you snapping and shutting down doesn't help the situation. You two need to talk."

Jade held her cup close to her mouth but hesitated. "I know," she whispered before finally taking a long sip.

* * *

"Tori," Nate knocked on the ladies room door.

No answer. He knocked again, a bit louder.

"Come on, Tori. I saw you go in there."

"Did you see that there was a second door?" asked a familiar voice behind him.

He turned around and flinched.

"Looking for me?" Tori asked, crossing her arms.

"Just wanted to see if you were alright. You looked really bad when you left the car."

Tori closed her eyes and sighed. "I'm fine, Nate. Thanks though."

"You're not really okay, are you?" he asked, squinting.

The half Latina, recently turned 30; sighed and pushed through the heavy metal door, marked "EXIT." Nathan followed.

"So tell me, Tori" Nate said before clearing his throat. "How long have you thought about this?"

"Nate..." she whined.

He put up his hands in defense. "I know, I know. It's not my business but overtime I've been getting used to thinking of you two as sisters. Like it or not, Jordan and I consider you girls family."

Tori smiled at the sentiment, but tried to quickly bury it under her own confidence of being right.

"And I hate to see family fight," he added.

Tori patted him on the shoulder and sighed.

"I know you and Jordan are concerned but..."

"Then let us help!" Nate cut her off.

"How?"

He took the brunette by the hand.

"Come on. He are going to discuss this. And the two of us will moderate."

Tori snatched her hand away and chuckled.

"Why don't we just make this a mock trial? You'll be my attorney and Jordan will be Jade's and you guys will present both arguments."

"Cute," Nate scoffed. "But who would be the decider?"

Tori shrugged, "I dunno."

Their conversation was disturbed by the sound of tires screeching. The pair looked in the direction of the commotion and saw a midnight blue van. A bearded man in his late 30's poked his head out. He was wearing a black work shirt and a purple and orange Phoenix Suns cap.

"Excuse me," he smiled. "Can you help me with something?"

"What do you need?" Tori asked.

The man looked briefly to the passenger side window and back again. "Some directions. Looking to get to St. George. I've know I'm supposed to be on Interstate 15 but I'm kind of lost here."

Nathan stepped in front of Tori. "Well, we aren't from around here so we're not sure."

"Oh," said the driver, looking disappointed. "Wait, do you have one of those GPS things?"

Tori fished out her iPhone. "Yeah, on my phone."

"Would you mind looking it up real quick?" he asked. "Just so I know where to go from here."

The man began to step out of the van when he lost his footing on the little step by the door and fell onto the ground. He cursed at himself, rubbing his elbow. Tori and Nathan rushed over to help the guy.

"Are you alright?" Tori asked, squatting beside him as did Nate.

"Just fine," he smiled in the quickest flash he took out a tazer and jammed it against Tori's neck, knocking her out. She barely made an audible yelp before going limp.

Nathan lunged at the man, trying to wrestle the device from him until he felt a stabbing in his side. Things very quickly began to get cloudy and then all of a sudden turned pitch black.

The man stood up, adjusting his hat as he looked around. Luckily nobody else was coming through this exit. There were half a dozen and this one was the furthest from the parking spaces so it wasn't ideal for anyone to use. Especially at night.

He opened his back doors and dragged first Tori into his van. When he heard the door slam shut, he tensed up and quickly covered Tori with a blanket.

"What happened to that guy?" a group of high school kids asked, indicating the body of Nathan Silver lying face down on the asphalt.

The man said, "Hit and run. I saw the whole thing. Bastard got away."

"Should we call 911?" one of the boys asked.

"Not necessary," the man winced as he dragged Nathan around the front of the car. He opened the door and started propping him up in the passenger seat. "I know him. I'll take him to the doctor. Thank you kids."

"I think I should call the cops," the same boy insisted.

The man contemplated the situation and closed his eyes, feigning thought.

"I believe he went that way," he pointed, indicating the direction toward state lines. "I believe he has Nevada plates, too."

"Okay," the boy nodded.

"Thanks, kids" he said as he deftly closed his back doors. "I hope they catch him."

And with that the dark blue van skidded away heading in the opposite direction of where he told the teens the police should pursue. The man produced a syringe from his jacket pocket and carefully placed it in the glove box.

"You I'm not worried about," he told the unconscious Nate. "That shit'll keep you nice and docile for a couple hours." He then looked behind his seat into the back. "Her on the other hand, I'll need to stop soon and tie her up before she comes to."


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N: For anyone who was curious, here is where I got the inspiration for the title from. **

**"Is Your Love Strong Enough?" is a song written by Brian Ferry and performed by How to Destroy Angels. It comes from the soundtrack to ****_The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo. _****I listen to that album quite a bit for my heavier stories. Atticus Ross and Trent Reznor (from Nine Inch Nails) made one hell of a haunting score. You should really give it a listen.**

**I am so sorry for this chapter being so short. I promise to not do that to you guys again. It's just writing this part was tough and I had to get through it.**

* * *

"What the hell is keeping those two?" Jade asked checking her phone's clock.

The day was waning when they left Vegas and by the time they came to the rest stop, it was dark. Once the sun left the desert, an overpowering chill hit the air. Jordan began to rub her shoulders to stay warm. Where _was_ Nathan? And Tori?

"Okay, I saw those people just get here and now they're leaving" Jordan pointed, indicating a family of six.

Jade shook her head. "Something isn't right." She hopped off the car and grabbed Jordan's hand. "Come on, let's go."

* * *

The Dwight D. Eisenhower Interstate Travel Plaza was a massive, sprawling building. It consisted of a newsstand store, a Carl's Jr., an A&W stand, a Pizza Hut, and Taco Time. In addition, there were 2 men's restrooms, 2 ladies rooms, and 1 facility with 8 shower stations (mostly for truck drivers).

The rest area also had about 100 parking spaces and foot traffic averages over a thousand people daily.

All things considered, someone had to have seen something.

Jordan and Jade split up, agreeing to meet at the newsstand shop in fifteen minutes. They must have asked dozens upon dozens of people of they saw Tori or Nathan. After combing the area, the two women met back up - both of them simultaneously exhaled worriedly when they saw the other was empty-handed.

"Where did they go?" Jade pressed.

Jordan was attempting to wrestle control of her breathing. "I...I don't know. They couldn't just disappear."

"No shit," shot back Jade.

The redhead gave the raven-haired woman a glare and she looked away, apologetic.

Jade folded her arms, leaning against a rack selling copies of US Weekly, Time, and the Arizona Daily Star.

"Call 'em." Jordan suggested.

With that the ladies whipped out their phones and began trying to connect with their other halves. Jordan swayed back and forth, anxious while Jade had her hand on her hip, impatient.

"Nothing," Jordan sighed heavily.

"Fuck," spat Jade in frustration. "His goes straight to voice mail, too?"

Jordan nodded, "Yep. I don't like this, Jade. If they're playing some kind of prank..."

"They wouldn't," Jade shook her head. "Not those two."

Jordan knew Jade was absolutely right. They had a playful side but in light of what had transpired over the years, they would never make them worry like this. Something _had_ to have happened to them. Thoughts began to flood into her mind and each random scenario scared her to death.

"Jordan?"

"What?" the redhead knocked out of deep thought.

"We will have to call someone, yeah?" Jade asked.

Jordan had been on the one side of such proceedings for years but now here she stood, among the victimized. Her mind was racing and her heart was beating out of her chest but she had to keep it together so Jade doesn't start freaking out. She had to be the strong one. After all, she was the non-civilian. Before Jordan got lost in her mind again, she began dialing her phone.

"What are you doing?" Jade asked.

"Calling it in," Jordan replied, fighting back tears as the call connected.

_"911"_

"Yes, this is Detective Jordan Silver, LAPD."

_"How can we help you, officer?"_

"I want to report a missing person...err..._two_ missing people."

_"Where we they last seen?"_

"Um, the Eisenhower Rest Area just outside of Nevada."

_"And when was this?"_

"Had to be an hour ago at least."

_"Okay, we will send someone over."_

"Alright. And tell them to hurry."

Jordan hung up the phone and stared at the floor while Jade watched her.

"Are you scared, Jordan?"

Long fingers ran through red locks, knuckles ghostly white.

Jordan looked Jade right in the eye, tears escaping.

"Do you really want to know the truth?"

* * *

Nathan felt like he was crawling out of a subterranean tunnel into the light. His head was heavy like that time he went into surgery to have his gallbladder removed. The anesthetic certainly did a number on him.

He suddenly became very aware that he was sitting upright. And that he couldn't move.

His arms were duck taped to the arms of the wooden chair he was in as were his legs. And another strip of the tough grey strap was covering his mouth.

From behind he could hear footsteps. And they were getting closer.

And closer...

And closer still...

Nate winced in pain from the sensation of his hair being tugged hard, forcing him to look up at who was standing behind him.

_"That driver..."_

The bearded man grinned.

"Oh good, you're awake."


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N: Tense doesn't begin to describe where we're heading.**

**Thanks to FuckTheReaper for being my own personal cheerleader. Your compassion and eccentricity gives me strength. **

* * *

"Nathan," said the driver.

_"How the hell does he know my name?"_

"You're quite a ways away from Los Angeles."

_"Right...my wallet."_

Something muffled came from behind the tape.

"What?" he asked Nathan.

_"It's hard to talk, asshole - get this thing off of me..."_

Nathan shouted in pain from the swift removal of the duct tape. In that flash the glue pulled on the hundred of tiny hairs from his stubble.

"Is that better?" the man asked in mock concern as he steadied a large black milk crate and sat down across from him.

"Who are you?"

The man flipped his head. "Oh yeah. We haven't been properly introduced." He extended his hand, "The name's Keith." He looked down at Nate's restraints and scoffed. "Oh, right" to which he then chuckled mildly to himself.

"Keith _what_?" asked Nate.

"What are you afraid of? Confusing me with some other Keith you'll meet down here? I think you're safe."

_"Did he really just say that shit to me?"_

"What do you want from us?" Nate asked point blank. Then he quickly thought about Tori. "Where is she?"

"Safe," he curtly replied.

"Why?"

Keith shrugged. "You two looked like you'd be good sport."

Nate blinked. "That's it?"

"Shits and giggles not good enough for you?"

"What?"

Keith leaned in close enough for Nate to smell his breath.

"Like any hobby, I enjoy what I do."

He then pulled out a pair of scissors from his back pocket, brandishing them before his face. Keith started to cut through Nathan's shirt, exposing his torso. Taking the sharpest point of the tool, the madman dragged the rusty blade across Nate's chest making a diagonal line. Nathan cried out in agony. Keith then crossed the line with a similar one going in the opposite direction. The second cut was just as intense because Keith made a point to wait sufficient time after the pain from the first one subsided.

Keith had to be sure that he felt every bit of it.

"What the fuck did you do that for?" Nate asked through gritted teeth.

"Just doing what the loggers do. They mark the trees with an 'x' so they know which one is coming down."

"Where is she?"

Keith sighed, annoyed.

"Ugh, still on about that, are you?"

Nate just stared him down.

"Eh, I don't know why you even bother - I mean its not like she's the only woman in your life."

"What did you say?"

With a devilish grin, Keith produced Nate's cell. He worked through the touch screen and turned the screen toward Nate to see for himself. It was a picture from his camera roll. It had him and Jordan at last New Years Eve party. They were smiling, having only kissed moments before this picture was taken. She held onto him tightly as he held her one elevated leg, which shone on account of her short red dress. He loved that picture of them and looked at it practically every day and for the first time, he had a bad feeling in the pit of his stomach.

"Who is _this_?" asked Keith with perversion in his voice.

Nathan didn't answer and just looked away from the picture.

"Come on, buddy - - you two look awfully close," he smiled.

"We are the furthest thing from buddies, you sick fuck" Nate spat. "But if you really want to know, she's just some girl I met at the party."

Keith shook his head. "Don't think I'm an idiot. Don't condescend, either. I have seen your types more than once. Even in the lion's den, you still lie. Even when you have nothing to lose, you still try to save someone's ass."

"I don't know what you're talking about," Nate coolly stated.

Keith sniffed and opened up the recent calls folder.

"That a fact? Funny because I see this lady in your contacts." He scrolls through the list. "Lots of calls, I see. She must be really special, Nathan"

Keith then squinted at the text next to the image.

"Jordan."

"Don't you say her fucking name," warned Nathan.

"Or what?" Keith asked.

Nathan looked at him like he wanted to strangle him.

"You see you're in no position to make threats because you two are gonna die down here. And I will promise you it will be slow. Every minute, you're going to wish you were dead. But I won't allow it. And once I do decide I am done with you, I'll end you. But fortunately, the fun doesn't have to stop."

Keith then showed the picture of him and Jordan once more.

"I think I will collect her and show her a good time."

Nathan now understood what he had to do.

He had to endure.

* * *

Tori was handcuffed to the iron frame of a bed. She couldn't see a thing with a towel wrapped around her head. Tori tried to keep her breaths shallow until her nose and mouth were uncovered.

After hearing a door open and shut, the half Latina cocked her head, listening very carefully to get a handle on her surroundings. Before she could gauge anything, she could see again. Staring right at her was the driver of that van.

"Aren't you a pretty one," he remarked. "Going to be a shame what I'm going to do to that face."

"Not as bad as what is in store for you if you don't undo these cuffs."

Keith shook his head, "Mmmm, I don't think so."

Tori rolled her eyes, refusing to show any semblance of fear. Inside, she was terrified because the reality was that she was at the mercy of this guy. If the mood struck him to do something unimaginable, she wouldn't be able to do a damn thing about it.

"Never bagged a cop before," he said. "This is gonna be really something for the both of us. I can tell."

"What are you going to do?" Tori squinted her eyes, her muscles tensing.

Keith thought and then smiled. "Well that would ruin things, wouldn't it? But I suppose I can give you a little preview of things to come."

He opened a drawer from a nearby desk and pulled out a blowtorch.

Tori's eyes went wide with horror.

"You've got such sweet lips" he half-whispered, bringing his hand close to her mouth. "I bet you're a great kisser." Once he was close enough, she lunged her head forward and bit his fingers. He shook his hand, grinning as if relishing in the pain.

He then turned on the torch, small blue flame ignited on the black tip.

"See this?" he asked her. "_This_ is how I kiss. And I'm gonna kiss you...all...over..."


	6. Chapter 6

**A/N: Everybody's enthusiasm leading up to the last chapter has been stupendous. I am so glad to see you're all really getting into it.**

* * *

A pair of squad cars pulled into the parking lot of the rest stop, where Jordan and Jade were waiting for them. They waved down the officers as they got out.

"Silver?" one of the male cops asked.

Jordan nodded in the affirmative.

"I am Sergeant Burbridge," the man introduced himself. He then indicated to the passenger side. "And this is Sergeant Whisenhunt." The other officer only nodded.

The pair shook Jordan's hand and eventually Jade's.

"So, how long were you two with the missing before they disappeared?" Whisenhunt asked.

"All day and the day prior," Jordan replied curtly.

"You four generally travel together?" Burbridge asked.

Jade cleared her throat. "Yeah, so?"

Burbridge looked at his partner before continuing. "Did they behave in any way that seemed aloof? Perhaps suspicious?"

"What the hell are you implying?" Jade pressed.

"You see, it's not uncommon in cases where more than one person goes missing that the scenario was...orchestrated."

Jordan put up her arm to divide the space between Jade and the officers.

"What are you getting at?" the redhead asked.

"Is it at all conceivable that they ran off?" Burbridge asked.

Jordan clicked her tongue. "What? Like, together?"

The two cops shrugged their shoulders.

"Somehow, I doubt that" Jade scoffed.

"What makes you so certain?" Burbridge asked.

"For starters," Jordan pointed to the Jeep. "That is the vehicle we all came in. Don't think they would brave the desert on foot."

"Did you see any buses?" Whisenhunt asked.

"A few," Jordan replied. "But we checked them."

Jade suddenly got dangerously close to Burbridge. "There's also that little nugget that Nathan is not Tori's type."

"And just what _is_ her type?"

"Someone that knows their way around a pussy better than any man," she raised an eyebrow.

Whisenhunt chuckled at Burbridge's expense. After all, that line of questioning _was _his idea.

"Enough of the bullshit," Jordan demanded. "Let us stop acting like idiots and treat this thing seriously."

"If we're dealing with an abduction, ma'am" Whisenhunt said. "Then time is something we don't have."

Burbridge coughed, indicating for the ladies to listen.

"These two have been missing for over two hours," he finally said. "No true idea where they went."

"Do you have current photos of them?" asked Whisenhunt.

Jade and Jori both nodded and took out their phones.

"May I?" Whisenhunt asked.

The women handed over their phones to him. They watched him take Jordan's photo of Nate and copy it. He then cropped the copy to only show him. Finally, Whisenhunt dialed a number to which the photo was sent. He then proceeded to do the exact same with Jade's phone and a picture of Tori on the boardwalk this past summer. The whole thing took less than a minute.

"What did you do?" Jade asked as her phone was handed back to her.

"I made pictures of Miss Vega and Mr. Silver suitable for posting on TV and the Internet. I just sent both photos to our missing persons tipline. Any image delivered to that phone number is automatically wired to news outlets, airports, bus terminals, you name it."

"Really?" Jade asked, genuinely impressed.

"We're so close to state lines that this could very well become a federal matter," Burbridge said. "Trouble is the feds don't usually get the ball rolling until the missing have been gone for two solid days."

Jordan shook her head. "And that might be too late."

"Exactly," Burbridge agreed.

"How can we help?" Jade asked.

Whisenhunt winced before answering, "Sorry, Miss. But, you're a civilian" he then turned to Jordan. "And I'm afraid you're out of your jurisdiction."

"So what is _that_ supposed to mean?" Jade asked, visibly irritated.

"It means we have it handled," Burbridge butted in.

"That isn't good enough," Jordan replied. "We have nowhere else to go. And we are not leaving without them anyway, so we might as well help."

Jade stood close to Jordan in solidarity.

"Fine," Burbridge sighed. "You keep asking the people."

"Here's my card," Whisenhunt said, handing the small piece of card stock to Jade. "If you come across anything, call us right away. And if _we_ find anything, expect that number on your caller ID."

"Okay," Jordan nodded. "Thank you."

Burbridge and Whisenhunt were barely ten yards away before Jade shouted at them, "And hurry!"

Jade stood where she was, looking forlorn into the darkness.

"You okay?" Jordan asked.

Jade shook her head. "No."

"Come on," she took her arm. "We haven't asked everybody yet and people are already starting to leave."

The raven-haired woman nodded and began to follow Jordan. She was right. The more time goes by, the less people around from when Tori and Nathan were last seen, the least likely they would be found.

_"Please Tori," _Jade told herself. _"Please be okay, honey."_

* * *

Tori's lungs were on fire from the amount of screaming that she did with an already impaired voice. For what seemed like forever, Keith scared her tan flesh with a small blowtorch. Bubbly welts were in patches along her legs and arms, a few on her torso and one behind her neck. That was the worst one of all because at one point she could smell what only could be described as her own skin cooking.

Tori thought she was gonna die but she refused to give up. She could just imagine Jade in this world, all alone. Nobody had been there for her since she was a child. True friends were impossible to keep and her family remains a touchy subject. She couldn't let her love, her life, get abandoned all over again.

The half Latina would gladly spit in Death's face (she had already bit his hand) if that meant surviving to see Jade again. The Goth who was treated as less than nothing her whole life was finally shone the light - proven that there is one person who sees everything in her. And she wasn't going to let her down by dying. Jade is a survivor, even when she had nothing to live for. Tori had the most confident and beautiful woman on earth in her life, so she would never stop fighting.

She had seen her share of crime scenes over the years and is privy to the depths to which a scumbag like this would sink. The ones who didn't hold hostages for financial gain or any other practical reason were always the worst. People like this saw their exploits as everything from God's will to the Devil's business.

And Tori wasn't fully confident that she would make it out alive but she couldn't give up.

Not now. Not ever.

She had to see tomorrow because that means she made it through the day alive.


	7. Chapter 7

**A/N: Thanks to all of you for being my inspiration to keep trying harder and harder to give you the best writing I can manage. Your reviews keep me going.  
**

**And FuckTheReaper has just been a wonderful friend outside the site. She's the best and I hope she never stops.  
**

**Longest chapter so far; hop you all like it.**

**Please read and review.**

* * *

Between Jade and Jordan, they must have asked a hundred people; half of which they've already questioned but felt they had to see Tori and Nathan's pictures again to refresh their memories.

Out of the corner of Jade's eye, she noticed a green and white Ford Bronco with six high school students hanging around it.

"Hey!" called out Jade.

The boys looked up at the brunette that shouted from several meters away. They looked at each other as she walked closely to them. She could hear murmurs that varied from 'she's crazy looking' to 'damn, she's hot.'

"Can we help you with something?" one blond boy asked.

"Yeah," Jade replied taking out her phone. "There is." Then she showed the photo of Tori. "Have you seen this woman?"

They all shook their heads no. One gangly kid stepped forward to look at the picture more closely and remarked, "No, but I wish I had."

Jade closed her eyes and took a deep breath, ignoring what she had just heard.

"I saw him," the blond one blurted out.

"Who?" Jade blinked.

"That guy," a boy with glasses behind the blond one pointed.

Jade turned the phone around and realized her thumb accidentally swiped to the next picture on her camera roll. It showed a very surprised Nathan and Jordan.

"HIM?" Jade's eyes widened. "You saw _him_?"

"Yeah?" the boy replied.

"WHEN?"

"Uh, I remember there was this guy."

"Help me out here!" Jade's hands on the kids shoulders, squeezing tightly but not too.

"Okay, okay" he sighed. "The guy in the picture was on the ground..."

"Yo, he was old cold" chimed in the gangly kid.

Jade raised an eyebrow. "Go on."

"This other guy...he said he was a friend...helped him up and sat him inside a van..."

How exactly Nathan ended up on the ground didn't interest Jade as much as the details of the Samaritan.

"What did the van look like?"

The teen closed his eyes and pictured it. "Blue; very dark blue, almost black."

"License plate?" asked Jade. "Did you see a license plate?"

"It was NK...uh..." he shook his head. "Some numbers. That's all I can remember."

"Hold on," Jade pointed. She then dialed for Jordan. "Hey it's me. Listen, round up those cops and tell them to get a sketch artist or something." She took the teen by the hand. "_You_...you're coming with _me_."

* * *

Nathan struggled for hours with his restraints, taking short two minute breaks in-between. It was no use. Despite being relatively easy to rip, the tape was virtually impossible to tear apart from just pulling on it. The fibers were not gonna budge.

He thought about Jordan and how worried sick she must be right now. He tried to maintain hope in his heart. Despite the torture of seeing Keith ogle over his wife's picture, it was deep down a blessing because the phone could be traced. Jordan was pretty smart with that sort of thing. That odd Sinjin kid taught her a great deal about electronic surveillance and computers in general. She became one of the more proficient in her precinct when it came to navigating through the criminal databases.

With any luck, she has him and Tori's location and is coming with the cavalry.

He had to hold on but it was hard. Keith had left him alone for a while. He heard screams in the next room. Nate understood that it was Tori. He could only imagine what that animal was doing to her. If he had use of his arms he would choke the life out of that bastard.

Nate thought back to before the screams through the walls, when Keith was pummeling his toes with a claw hammer. It was excruciating and Nate only saw stars the whole time he was being subjected to this. But it wasn't until now it dawned on him that it was silent during his torture, save for his own shouting. Suddenly it made sense.

Keith was purposely alternating between them rather than torturing them in the same room. He probably figured that he could drive the both of them insane by letting their imaginations run amok. Tori would listen to his torture and vice versa. What a sick, degrading game he was playing. He was like a cat with a mouse. He could kill them both at any time but he won't because he is having too much fun.

The door opened and there stood Beelzebub himself.

"How are your chest wounds?" he asked incredulously.

Nathan just stood there, slowly gathering enough saliva so he could spit in his face.

"Not to worry, Nathan" he grinned. "I've got something that will make you forget about how much they hurt."

The son of a bitch produced a bag of sea salt

Nate's eyes widened and he shook his head profusely. Keith gave him a mischievous look in return and approached him.

* * *

She shuddered at the sound of Nathan's cries of pain. Tori closed her eyes and tried to distance herself from the present. She tried to imagine a happier time, or at least a simpler time.

Tori began to think back to the exact moment when she fell in love with Jade.

The bunch of them were going to the movies. It was around Halloween and the local multiplex was showcasing the filmography of Tim Burton. The lot of them were anxiously anticipating this event, having grown up only watching these movies on TV or video.

Trina invited herself along when she found out that this night they were playing _Edward Scissorhands_. She told Tori that she had distinct memories of watching _21 Jump St. _reruns growing up and falling in love with Johnny Depp. Any time a new movie came out with him in it, she had to go see it. And you better believe that she was going to be present at a big screen revival of one of his signature roles.

Jade surprised the group when she told them that she hadn't seen _Edward Scissorhands_.

"How is that even possible?" Robbie asked bluntly.

"Yeah," chimed in Cat. "I thought you had seen everything with _scissors_ in the title."

"It was on my watch list," growled the Goth. "Hadn't gotten around to that one yet."

Tori put her arm around Jade in a friendly manner. "It's a great movie. You might like it."

Jade rolled her eyes at Miss Sally Sunshine to her left.

"We'll see."

Beck was away on family business and Jade went to the movies because she was getting increasingly bored in his absence. Much to her irritability, Cat and Robbie sat together and at one end leading to the aisle was Andre chatting up a pretty girl who was stood up by her friends. There was only one seat left and it was next to Tori Vega of all people.

Reluctantly Jade sat beside the half Latina as the 20th Century Fox logo came up, but with snow falling like in a snow globe. Alfred Newman's fanfare was gone and in its place was haunting vocals. Jade raised her eyebrow at that unconventional beginning.

As the movie progressed, Tori couldn't help but notice how much higher Jade was sitting than most of the people in the audience. She figured it was because she was watching it for the first time while others were here purely out of nostalgia.

Tori knew the movie by heart so more than occasionally she glimpsed at Jade, whose eyes were glued to the screen. Tori noticed Jade's breath hitch when Edward's flashback showed the kindly old inventory played by Vincent Price teaching Edward about etiquette. Then Tori saw Jade's mouth covered by her hand at the scene where Edward was caught breaking into the house and was almost shot by the police.

When Edward stormed away, going on a rampage- Jade's arm was behind her neck. Next thing Tori observed was when Winona Ryder's character was scared and asked for Edward to hold her. He studied his 18-inch blades, acknowledging that he couldn't. Tori saw a single tear fall from Jade's eye and traverse down her cheek.

Then after the film's finale, Jade was fully crying (albeit silently) when Edward and the girl he fell in love with said their goodbyes.

It finally dawned on Tori what was going on. Jade was relating to Edward. This pale, dark-haired person in clothes that looked like they were designed by H.R. Geiger with no way of getting close to someone because of his scissors for hands. He tries to do good with what he has (with the topiary and hairstyles) but ultimately, he usually destroyed things or harmed people.

Some of the suburbanites feared Edward; others were drawn to him by his mystique. He fell for this pretty girl and they could never be together but he shows his love by making it snow down on the town for ever and ever.

Edward's shyness, awkwardness, and being misunderstood reflected Jade's frustrations. And the scissors aspect was an eerie similarity, as if this fable was made specifically about her. Tori's very being just wanted to hug Jade during those bouts of crying but she had to resist.

When the movie ended, Jade immediately bolted and went straight home, much to everyone's confusion.

Now seeing how much the film struck a nerve in Jade, Tori would in subsequent viewings gain a better understanding of Jade West. She wondered if she could get her to open up the way she did in the theater but it was never meant to be because around this time was when she disappeared, only to reemerge by happenstance years later.

Tori remembered that night at the movies and on their first time celebrating her birthday as a couple, she bought Jade the Danny Elfman soundtrack. At first, Jade seemed bemused by the gift but then thought back to how the movie made her feel. It was after that _Edward Scissorhands _became a regular movie at home and if happened to come on TV; they dropped what they were doing, popped some popcorn and watched it.

Though she only really listened to orchestral scores when it was part of a musical, Tori eventually warmed up to the Elfman score and actually burned a digital copy of the CD which she ported onto her phone so she could listen to it in the car. Whenever Jade was gone, either working or running an errand, Tori found herself listening to the delicate strings and choir voices that populated the music of the film. It made her think of Jade; specifically that night in their senior year.

The night she fell in love with the girl who made her boring warm world a winter wonderland.

And once Jade left Tori's life, the snow stopped falling. And right here in this dungeon, the feeling of emptiness came back again.

* * *

**A/N: I am the biggest movie geek you'll ever meet in your life. I have been collecting film soundtracks for years. As a kid, I started with recording the end credits for movies with my mini cassette player and would listen to the instrumentals over and over. Then when I got older, and got my first money from my first part time job, I naturally bought soundtracks. The first one I remember buying was _Edward Scissorhands_. I have literally hundreds of soundtracks by the time of me writing this but there is about 20 albums I listen to all the way through on a constant basis (_Star Wars, Titanic, _and of course _Edward Scissorhands_). I just like including that flashback because I love Danny Elfman and that is my favorite score of his. _Batman_ is a very close second. **


	8. Chapter 8

**A/N: Wow! We're up to 60 reviews! You guys are the best readers ever.**

**Now, an old friend has returned. Jay aka Jordan has made her triumphant comeback (despite being hella busy with school). If you haven't read her Jori fic "Love and Basketball" you need to. I don't even like sports and I was drawn to it; that's the sign of a good writer. And she was nice enough to marathon the first 7 chapters and leave comments. **

**I am really enjoying everyone's reviews as of late. You're either getting really emotional or you're trying to assist in the investigation lol. We have a long way to go yet.**

**On to Chapter 8...**

* * *

The teenage boy that Jade "coerced" into coming with her identified himself as Ryan Klein. He was on a trip with some friends and their SUV was driven by one of the friends' dads. He went on to tell Whisenhunt and Burbridge about the man who supposedly helped Nathan off the ground and load him into the van. Burbridge requested the surrounding security camera footage.

After about an hour of perusing the black and white recordings, Whisenhunt saw the view of behind the main building where Tori and Nathan exited. When the van appeared, their view of the two was obstructed. Only briefly do we get a glimpse of the figure of the abductor as he carries Nathan into the passenger side of the van. Tori had to have been loaded in the back, the officer decided, since the rear doors were out of frame. She also must have been knocked out somehow since the vehicle didn't jostle or anything, like somebody was struggling with being restrained.

Seeing a dead end in the ID of the kidnapper, Burbridge requested that the Klein boy provide a detailed assessment for the sketch artist. It took about fifteen minutes of questioning, trying to get the physical characteristics and clothing correct. They also needed to know if he had an accent or regional dialect which may help pinpoint his residence. Satisfied, Whisenhunt utilized the fax machine of the rest stop's management office to send the sketch out to all the important outlets.

Then the sheriff's department got an unexpected call from a woman named Chloe Mishky.

* * *

About half a mile from the rest stop was a cheap roadside motel called The Apollo. The two cops suggested that the ladies rent a room close by so they would not be far if somehow Tori or Nathan escape and try to find their way back to their last known location before being captured.

Jade fought against the idea and even Jordan was reluctant at first but she could tell that the brunette was getting really tired. And a tired Jade was a far more irritable than usual Jade.

Jordan was about to pay when Jade put her arm in front of her and put her debit card on the table and slid it to the front desk clerk.

"Jade..."

"No," she glared. "I got this."

"Thanks," Jordan sighed.

"Don't worry about it."

The older gentleman leaned in and told Jade "We only have one room left and its the suite."

Jade rolled her eyes and shrugged. "What-the-fuck-ever."

Jordan turned the little golden key and she heard the lock disengage but the door stuck. She gave Jade a look before kicking the thing in.

"Charming," Jade mumbled.

The room was fixed with hideous green wall-to-wall carpeting and salmon-colored wallpaper with floral accents. There was the usual trappings: small desk, two chairs, a bureau with an ice bucket and two plastic cups on it. But their eyes were immediately drawn to the bed. It was round and half surrounded by thick red drapes.

"So this is the suite, huh?" Jordan asked aloud.

Jade plopped onto the bed with a thud.

"Guess so," she said.

Jordan walked over to the nightstand and studied this strange little box right by the phone with a button on it. She pressed it and suddenly the round bed started to rotate. Jade rolled over, looking about the room as she spun helplessly around.

"What the fuck is going on?" the brunette protested.

Before she knew it, the bed came to a halt. Instinctively she looked right at Jordan.

"Sorry," said the redhead holding a plug. Jordan then sat down beside the disheveled Jade. "We should really get some sleep."

"Can't," Jade replied. "I'm too freaked out."

"I know," Jordan said rubbing her back.

"I mean, where are they? What is that guy doing with them?"

Jordan shook her head. "I don't know."

Jade looked at Jordan. "Ransom?"

"Hopefully we'll get some kind of contact soon of that's the case."

The two ladies yawned. Jordan laid down and turned over. Opening her eyes, she saw that Jade was still sitting up.

"Jade," she said. "We're no use to Tori or Nathan if we are half asleep. We'll have more energy if we get a few hours."

The pale woman closed her eyes, squeezing out tears.

"You're right."

"They'll find them, Jade. _We_ will find them."

"I know," Jade nodded.

Before Jordan's eyes fully shut, she saw Jade's form lay down and clutch a pillow.

* * *

Tori's eyes opened up, sore from the day's ghastly deeds. Her wrists were bound by a thick layer of industrial strength thick plastic wrap. As were her ankles. Fortunately the glue on the tape covering her mouth began to wear and was partially off her face. Tori felt a tremendous sense of relief. She always detested situations where she was forced to breathe only through her nose. It gave her haunting memories of almost drowning as a child.

With all her strength, she rolled over on the cold concrete floor. Next thing she knew there was Nathan's bludgeoned face inches from hers.

"Oh, my god Nate" she whispered.

"Its okay," he groaned. "I've been counting the seconds for a while. I think he's asleep."

"You're sure?" Tori asked in a more normal volume.

Nathan pointed with the toe of his left shoe.

"Over there, on the shelf. There's a radio. The clock on it works."

"And you're hoping that the time is correct?"

Nathan looked Tori in the eye with sincerity. "Have to hold on to something."

"Have you been thinking?" Tori asked.

"About...?"

"Escaping."

"How?"

Tori rolled her back toward Nate.

"See my hands?" she asked.

"Yes."

"It's strong but its only plastic. If we try, we can break it."

"We'd have to pull hard on it. I've wrapped pallets for shipping before. This stuff is very tough."

Tori cleared her throat. "Here's what I want you to do." She shimmied her body so her hands were close to his. "How _did_ you get your hands in front of you?"

Nathan winced. "Nearly broke my shoulder doing it. So..."

"Get a grip on the plastic around my wrists and push on my back with your foot for leverage. Otherwise we'll be skidding across the floor all night."

"Okay," he nodded. "Will you be alri-"

"Just do it, Nate"

He gripped the thick strand of plastic tightly and pushed onto the lower part of Tori's back with his left leg. The woman bit her lip until she thought she was going to bleed as the plastic tore deeper and deeper into her tender flesh. Meanwhile, tremendous pain and pressure is attacking her sacroiliac. It all seemed like an eternity until...

finally...

their breaths hitched...

at the first sound of the material beginning to tear.


	9. Chapter 9

**A/N: Hey guys, get ready for Chapter 9**

**Let me get something off my chest. FuckTheReaper is a very dear friend of mine and she has been going through some rough stuff the last few days. Her strength is an inspiration to me. And that despite her trials she is a first class friend to her mates when they're in trouble. What a wonderful human being! Honey, you are so loved its not even funny. **

**Ok, please read and review.**

**;-)**

* * *

Tori was left in bra and panties. Nathan was bare-chested. The both of them were barefoot. He looked around and couldn't find any other clothes in the basement. Who knows what Keith did with what he took off of them.

"Never mind." Tori whispered. "Let's just get going."

The what she figured, two undressed adults running down the street would get the necessary attention. That's how Jeffrey Dhamer got caught. The police didn't miss the sight of a naked man screaming about how he escaped.

"Alright," Nathan nodded. "Let's go."

The door at the top of the stairs leading out of the basement was unlocked.

_Overly confident, _thought Tori as she turned the knob and slowly opened the door.

Nate peered down the hallway to the source of the deep snoring. About 10 feet away, behind that closed door was the madman asleep. He sucked up a deep breath and slowly began to traverse the short distance between the basement and the front door.

Fortunately, it was only a couple of steps for them to make it to that metal door which had a typical deadbolt. He knew he could open it in a pinch and with very little noise but his heart pounded as he stared at the hardwood floors laid before him. He had to act as though Keith were a light sleeper and make damn sure he didn't make the slightest creak underfoot.

Silently, he released the captured air in his lungs as he felt the cold door against his skin. It was as cold as the concrete basement but this time he didn't mind it because this door was between him and freedom. Nathan wrapped his thumb and forefinger around the brass knob that would undo the deadbolt and clutched the knob with the other hand. He signaled Tori with his shifting eyes.

The half Latina nodded and as her friend did a moment ago, held her breath steady and summoned all her grace.

The night air was more merciful than the cold door. It hit Tori and Nathan. They exchanged glances and held hands. First Nathan's left foot along with Tori's right. Their best feet landed on the grass when they heard...

CLICK CLICK

"Going somewhere?" asked Keith. Soon the bearded man emerged from the shadows with a Winchester in hand, cocked and loaded.

"Tori..." Nathan said calmly. "Run."

Before Keith could pull the trigger, Nate pounced on his captor while Tori reluctantly made a run for it. She made it down the man's driveway. It felt like almost a hundred feet until the nearest neighbor. The sounds of the scuffle grew fainter and fainter.

Tori pounded on the neighbor's front door, screaming bloody murder but was only met with a porch light going out.

_"If these asshole ever realize what they had just done," _Tori seethed to herself.

Out of the her peripheral vision, Tori caught sight of another house. It was only a little further as opposed to the first house was. Unfortunately, Tori caught her bare foot on a broken beer bottle and fell down, howling in pain. Blood trickled onto the cool asphalt as a shadow began to approach the wounded warrior.

Tori tried to crawl away just enough so she could get to her feet before he...

BAM!

The darkness returned.

* * *

Jordan's body stiffened as she felt arms snake around her waist. In a flash of a second, she rolled on top of whoever it was and opened her eyes. Once they adjusted, she saw a scared and confused Jade.

"Jesus, Jade" she blurted out. "What the hell are you doing?"

"I...I...was dreaming...I guess...I felt...I thought it was Tori..."

Jordan's face softened sympathetically as she got off the brunette.

"I'm sorry," Jade said contritely. "I was confused..."

"It's fine," Jordan sternly told her. "Really."

The two ladies were disturbed then by a knock on the door.

Jordan made her way to the window and peered through one of the horizontal blinds. She looked back at Jade.

"It's the cops," she sighed.

Jade was disappointed, hoping it was Tori or at least Nathan.

"Sorry if we woke you," Whisenhunt apologized.

"It's okay," Jordan waved him off. "We weren't asleep anyway."

Burbridge stepped in. "We found something interesting about your husband and partner's captor."

Jordan's eyes widened as Jade sat up straight.

* * *

"Naught, naughty" taunted Keith while dangling his shotgun over Tori's face like a pendulum. In his other hand, he held a tape recorder and pushed play. The snoring from the bedroom played for a few seconds before he hit stop. "Didn't you ever see _Ferris Bueller_?"

Tori had nothing to say. Not yet.

"Not in the mood to talk?" he asked, looking rather hurt.

The half Latina was a rock.

"Well then, _I_ will talk." At this point he stopped brandishing the Winchester and just held it firmly in front of her face. "Now you two want to leave here so badly, right?"

Tori blinked, her neck too much in pain to nod.

"Now I've told you two and I've told you...there's only one way you're leaving here. And that's in pieces."

Keith leaned in close, his alcohol halitosis made Tori want to throw up.

"And _when_ that happens," Keith sniffed. "Will be only at _my_ discretion."

"Why?" Tori looked up at him with all the hatred in the world.

"Why..._you_, you mean?" he asked. Keith thought about it and shrugged. "Because you were there. Always wanted to get two at once." He leaned in and smiled. "And you looked like good sport."

Tori blinked. "I mean why do you do this?"

"Trying to pick my brain, officer?" Keith stepped back and turned his head briefly to grab a chair and sat down. "Okay, you want to know? It was about ten years ago and I was driving through a really bad rain. I was about two miles from home when all of a sudden I skidded and clipped some guy who was kneeling down to change his tire." He smirked as if recalling a fond memory. "Got him pretty good between the right side of his head." He showed Tori by running his finger across her sweaty skin. "See...he had this gash about here on the right eye all the way to the ear."

"So," he continued. "He was bleeding from this massive wound like I've never seen anybody bleed in my life. It was like running a knife along a deer's broadside." Keith looked down and suppressed a giggle. "And he was screaming. Like these loud, wet shrieks. It was then I saw the tire iron he dropped. Without a second thought I picked it up and held it firmly in my hand."

It was at this point that Keith picked up a crowbar, an object eerily similar to the one from his story.

"I walked up to him," he said as he approached Tori. "And I started hitting him just wailing on him in the arms and legs. I don't know how long it went on for."

The crowbar came within inches of Tori's face. "BAM!" he shouted. She blinked. Then the metal bar went up and came back down again, even closer than the last one. "BAM!"

"The best part," he added. "Was the blood pouring from his head, mixed with the rain...he couldn't see, he couldn't think; all he knew was the pain that _I_ was giving him. I never in my life felt more powerful than I did right then and there. And then when I was bored and had my fun, I brought the fatal blow down on the messy wound and opened up his skull."

Keith threw down the crowbar with a clang.

"The rain came down so hard that night...the blood and brains just washed away. It was then I saw how little the world really cared about this man's life. I understood that when we're alive or dead is boring. That we are at our most fulfilled when we are killing or being killed. Something about being near death..." he exhaled as if coming down from an orgasm. "Nothing like it."

"So what did you do with him?" Tori asked point blank.

Surprised by the question, Keith smiled. "I loaded him into the trunk of his car and pushed it into a ditch. It was filling up with water fast. By the time I drove away I could only see the top of the car. And you know what? I kept a close eye on the news and the papers for weeks. Not a word on this guy. No mention. Never...never found out his name." He shrugged. "So, sorry if you were looking for something more profound or psychological. Maybe a childhood where I got locked in a closet everyday. But no, I was very fortunate. It just wasn't until that night that I realized how much I was missing this...this...bloodlust. Now I understand what those hunters talk about."

Tori just stared at how this man pleasantly regaled the night he swung the pendulum from vehicular manslaughter to cold blood murder.

"Hunting is part of the fun and earlier you two let me relive it all again." He cocked his head at Tori. "You really felt like you were close to freedom, weren't you?" he asked. "But now you know the truth." He shook his head. "Nobody gets away from me."

* * *

**A/N: Can you believe this guy? Just when you thought he couldn't be more evil, he purposely dangled hope in front of our protagonists.**

**I promise to have the next one up in a few days. **


	10. Chapter 10

**A/N: Man, the responses I've gotten on the last two chapters have been phenomenal. I love setting up a tense moment or a tender moment and I get the reactions I hoped. That's why you're the best readers of all time. **

**We have a ways to go yet so let's get going.**

* * *

"Chloe Mishky," Officer Burbridge said. He passed the manila folder in his hands to his partner.

Jordan and Jade followed the guys to the sheriff's office. They have been working nonstop for the last few hours trying to find any leads on Tori and Nathan's whereabouts.

The off-duty redhead appreciated the amount of effort and manpower devoted to locating her husband and partner.

The foursome sat in one of the empty conference rooms. The table was massive and shiny from the stainless steel. Burbridge and Whisenhunt sat on one end and the ladies at the other. The brunette with the scowl on her face had a fresh cup of coffee (two sugars) sitting in front of her. That little detail was nonnegotiable, according to Jordan.

"Who?" inquired a half asleep Jade West, rubbing her eye like she was fighting off the Sandman.

Whisenhunt spread across several photographs; the first showing a smiling auburn-haired girl with glasses. That was as cheerful as it got. The subsequent images bore graphic closeups of hideous injuries.

Jordan held one of the pictures, depicting some form of branding. "Jesus," she whispered.

"And she escaped?" Jade asked. She was already impressed that this high school girl survived, period.

Burbridge nodded solemnly. "He wasn't home when she broke out. By the time she led authorities to the residence, it was vacant."

"Did you find anything?" Jordan asked.

"Plenty of evidence of torture," Whisenhunt replied. "There was blood and tools and rope. Lots of evidence showing that Miss Mishky was held against her will and brutally assaulted for days."

"Unfortunately," Burbridge sighed. "Nothing from the latents we lifted from the crime scene match anybody in our system."

"Son of a bitch must have never been arrested before," Jade said.

"It's a setback that happens more often than you think," Burbridge added.

While Jordan asked more procedural questions, the three cops didn't notice Jade scribbling down on a scrap of paper.

"Who did the house belong to?" Jade asked, unknowing that Jordan already asked that. She shook her head and gave a small smirk, acknowledging that.

"Keith Hellman," Whisenhunt replied. "Local guy."

Burbridge showed a picture of the smoldered shell of a car. "We figured our man broke into Hellman's home and eventually got rid of him. The home owner's car was found with the charred remains of the man inside."

"The body was an adult male but other than that, we couldn't make much out" Whisenhunt added. "Burnt beyond recognition."

"But its been eight years," Burbridge said. "No sign of Hellman. Frankly, when a killer acquires a missing person's anything, and enough time passes, we essentially stop looking."

Jordan exchanged a look with Jade.

"So, you think that this guy - whoever he is - has the same M.O.?" the redhead asked.

"Chloe was a tourist," Burbridge nodded. "No ties to anybody within at least a hundred miles."

"Bastard," Jordan nodded. "Targets people who are less likely to be missed within a day or two."

"Gives him time," Jade added. "And by the time most people figure out something's wrong..."

Whisenhunt held out his hand. "Jade, don't say its too late. This find with Miss Mishky is a happy one in disguise. It's proof that he keeps his prey alive for days. This man has to be a sadist..."

"So chances are that they're going through hell right now," Jordan gravely chimed in.

Jade bit her lip, contemplating what could be happening to her Tori right now based on what these photographs showed.

Burbridge cleared his throat.

"There has been no contact for ransom or anything. There have been a handful of cold missing person cases within this state. All involving travelers."

"Fuck," Jade whispered.

Jordan leaned over to her companion. "Jade...are you...ok?"

The brunette rushed out of the room. Jordan thanked the officers for their help and ran to look for Jade.

* * *

"There you are!" exclaimed Jordan as she burst through the ladies room.

Jade looked up at her from the floor, leaning against a stall door. She had been throwing up.

"Jade," the redhead knelt down to her level. "Are you alright?"

"We're leaving," she said, struggling to her feet.

Jordan was confused. "What?"

"We're leaving now!" Jade's tone grew more serious.

"Why?"

"We need to get going," she replied. "It's gonna take us time to get to Phoenix."

Jade showed the scrap of paper from her pocket. "We're going to that house."

"And find what?"

"Anything," Jade's eyes were pleading for some kind of hope.

Jordan sighed, knowing full well that Jade usually doesn't let things go when her mind is set.

"Okay, let's go."

* * *

Nathan woke up, dizzy from another entry in a series of nasty blows to the head.

He felt strange. He was flat on his stomach but there was something beneath him. Or someone.

Once his eyes focused, his heart dropped when he saw that he was on top of Tori. She was conscious but also like him, physically and psychologically exhausted.

He could see that there were both handcuffed to the bed, locked in this missionary position. What's worse, he could feel that neither of them had any underwear on. Nate blushed and turned away when he noticed Tori was missing her bra as well.

"What's going on?" he asked Tori though loud enough for anyone else in the room to hear.

"I felt kind of bad," Keith said. "Maybe I've been too rough on you both." He sat down, putting one leg up over the other to get more comfortable. He smelled the steaming cup of coffee in his brown ceramic mug. He took a long sip before continuing. "So, I figured you guys deserved a treat."

"But we're not even..."

"I know," he nodded. "I must confess that's for me."

Nathan's eyes narrowed at Keith, not caring how much his neck hurt contorting it to see his captor in the face.

"And if we don't?"

Suddenly Tori was staring down the barrel of her own standard issue gun from her purse.

"Then I blow her brains out and leave you right there with her. You can lay there for days and days, watching the maggots make a feast from her flesh." Keith lowered his gun momentarily to really regard Tori. "Now, do I really have to hold a gun to your head? I mean, she is a looker, huh?"

Nathan didn't respond.

Keith slowly walked backward and sat down, gun pointed squarely at the pair in one hand and hot coffee in the other.

"Now, let's start."


	11. Chapter 11

**A/N: Okay, we're gonna start building some momentum here. Jade and Jordan just got their first lead. It's not much but who knows?**

**And as for Tori and Nathan...**

**You'll notice I'm playing with suspense by not being specific with the time of our captives and that of our searchers.**

**;-)**

* * *

Jordan drove the Jeep all the way to Phoenix, the most cosmopolitan city in Arizona. The sixth most populated and the highest populated capital, there were a great number of residences and businesses the town had to offer.

There was a quaint suburb the ladies turned into. Jade grasped the scrap of paper firmly in her fist. She must have read the address 400 times on the drive over.

"There!" Jade pointed. "That blue house on the edge of the street."

Jordan lowered her sunglasses which was guarding against the rising sun.

"124 Nixon Drive," the redhead repeated from memory.

"Come on," Jade exclaimed.

"Can I park the car first?" she scolded.

The black sports utility vehicle was alone in the driveway. The perfectly-cut lawn and For Sale sign at the pathway indicated that the house was vacant.

"Guess the house went back on the market," Jade mused.

"Or maybe nobody dared to buy it," Jordan said. "They're probably desperate. Maybe selling for peanuts compared to the neighboring houses."

The pale woman turned the locked know and kicked the door in frustration.

Jordan shook her head and stepped past Jade and felt the rafter before securing a little silver key in her fingertips.

"Be careful, Jadey" the redhead sternly warned. "This _was_ a crime scene. At the very least, there may be squatters. So watch yourself."

The front white door with glass panels opened and the pair walked in.

Jade sniffed as she looked around.

"Whatever happened here," she said. "They did a good job cleaning up."

Jordan nodded "Yup."

The raven-haired female made her way toward the basement.

"Where are you going?" Jordan asked.

"The lion's den, apparently" Jade morbidly replied.

The redhead rolled her eyes as she followed Jade down the stairs.

"Cops probably took everything out of here as evidence," she told Jade.

"Yeah well, I would be kicking myself if I didn't look myself."

The two stopped and stared at what was once a rec room from the look of it. Before it was stripped down and changed into a torture chamber. Only, here the instruments of pain and other paraphernalia are all gone.

_"Damn it," Jade thought. "Jordan was right."_

Jordan tried the light switch to get a better look but the old bulb exploded. She dug into her jacket and produced a small Maglite. She handed it to Jade as she had a similar one on her keychain. They wandered the dark room for several minutes, really looking at the walls for hidden compartments of any details the police may have missed.

"Jade," Jordan gulped. "You need to understand that crime scenes are not like what they do on TV. It's not a puzzle that is solved. Oftentimes there will always be pieces missing or ones that just don't fit."

Jade lowered her flashlight and stared at the floor.

"I know," she whispered. "But I need to find her. You don't understand, Jordan. Without Tori I have nowhere to go."

"I'm still here," Jordan said, briefly shining her beam in the pale woman's face.

"I know," Jade nodded. "Thanks."

Something caught Jordan's eye. "What's that?"

Jade blinked. "What?"

"That," she pointed to the wood paneling. "Jade, do a 360 of the room."

"Why?"

"Just do it," the redhead ordered.

The brunettes shrugged and scanned the basement with her flashlight.

"So?" she asked upon stopping.

"So..." Jordan said, putting the mini flashlight in her mouth, leaving her hands free to remove a section of paneling. "The pattern is the same all around the room, except for right here. See?"

Jade squinted and it dawned on her. "Two large ones together, instead of a large piece and a small piece."

"Aha!" exclaimed Jordan as she set the section of paneling down. "A safe. But I don't know the combo."

"You don't have to," Jade stepped up the door and opened it. "The handled was up. It wasn't locked."

Jordan raised an eyebrow.

"What? I stole things. What are you, surprised?"

"Let's see," said Jordan as she reached inside. The shaft was almost two feet deep until she came across a box. "Oh."

"Got something?" Jade asked.

"Yeeeeeah," Jordan practically stretched to get a hold of the small box.

"Yo, J" the brunette said pointing to her dying light. "My batteries are going. Let's look at it upstairs."

They ran to the kitchen where there was still a bar. The whole room was illuminated by daylight.

Jordan was slowly opening the shoebox lid when Jade huffed and snatched the vessel and dumped its contents onto the counter.

"I forgot," Jordan snidely commented. "You're not patient."

"Don't you want to find them?" Jade asked with venom in her tone.

"Watch your mouth, bitch" Jordan pointed. "I'm just trying to be careful with what could be evidence."

Jade sighed. "Sorry." She scanned the items on the burgundy countertop. "So, what do we have?"

Jordan spread out some photos, which looked odd. They were missing a glossy finish. Figured the bastard was smart enough and made these himself off of a color printer as opposed to sending depictions of attempted murder to the one hour photo guy.

"Souvenirs," Jordan said, taking all of this stuff in.

* * *

"What's the matter, idiot?" Keith clicked his tongue. "Never seen a woman before?"

Nathan looked at Keith, knowing that any further hesitation would land a bullet in his brain. And Tori's.

But still...

Tori was family to him. She was like a younger sister. What he was being coerced to do (literally at gunpoint) was incestuous to him. It helped that she herself was not interested in men. Even Tori fancied Nathan as the brother she never had. While she was well-trained and self reliant, Tori did appreciate the feeling of having an older sibling feeling protective of her. The last couple of years the two have built a strong relationship of mutual familial love.

A line was defined, albeit silently. And Keith knew it.

And right at this moment, this sadistic fuck was giving them no choice but to cross that line.

"I'm losing my patience," he threatened. "You'd better do something before..."

Tori lifted her head up and kissed Nathan, much to his surprise, on the mouth.

He lowered his head to her ear and asked "What are you doing?"

"We need to make it out alive," she whispered into his ear. "Just imagine I'm Jordan."

"I don't think I can..."

"Nate," she shout whispered, sending shivers down his spine. "Trust me, it's much harder for me."

He understood what she meant.

"Enough pillow talk," Keith stomped his foot. "Let's see some action."

* * *

"You know," Jade said while looking at her phone. "If you squint, this Keith Hellman looks kind of like the sketch."

"What?" Jordan asked, looking up from the pictures.

"Yeah, remember the driver's license picture of the guy who owned this house?"

Jordan nodded.

"Now imagine a beard and no glasses."

The redhead reclines and shut her eyes. Her body stiffened and she opened her lids at Jade.

"That son of a bitch," she whispered.

"He's still alive," Jade said, scooping up the pictures back in the shoebox.

"More than that," Jordan added. "He might be our guy."

With that; the girls left and hit the road, heading back.

* * *

"Come on," Tori grunted both to appease Keith who was watching but also to directly tell Nathan to start. "Touch me..."

Nate gulped and ran his hands along Tori's well-toned abs all the way to her firm breasts. He shut his eyes as he massaged them and tried his best to picture Jordan in his mind. She was taller than Tori but a similar build. He may be able to bite his lip and get through this.

But it wasn't his lip that needed cooperating.

Keith sat on the edge of his chair, watching intently.

Tori remembered from her own fumblings with guys years ago. Nate was hesitating because he probably wasn't erect yet. She reached down and at first recoiled at the first contact with the flaccid member and psyched herself out before beginning to alternatively stroke it and tickle his testicles.

By this point, both had their eyes shut. They moaned and grunted to better sell that they were really into it. Truthfully, it was the most forced thing they had ever done and was only happening because they knew the tried and true biological buttons to stimulate the private parts.

The half Latina felt fingers run through her hair as Nate landed squarely into her vagina. In her mind's eye, she saw Jade straddling the shit out of her and with a devious grin, she pulled out a strap-on and fixed it onto herself. Mounting her, Jade proceeded to penetrate Tori, sending initial shockwaves through her whole body.

To Nathan, he was in a warm and soft bed with Jordan smiling up at him as he rocked back and forth on top. She told him she loved him and pulled him closer to her.

_"I'm so sorry," Nathan thought. "Please forgive me, Jordan."_

Nate's grunting was building and building. Tori saw the signals. She only had seconds to react in time. Tori quickly shifted her pelvis, allowing Nate to pull out and he blew his semen onto the bed. She felt some of the thick, molten liquid hit her skin but she tried to forget this. Her focus was on Keith's reaction.

The bearded man stood up and studied the pair, uncomfortably situated. He then walked over to the nearby table and acquired two syringes. Tori shook her head as Nathan and then her got stuck. He collapsed on top of Tori, who lay limp on the bed.

"That was for being an early ejaculator," Keith smugly chastised the unconscious Nate. He then looked at Tori's closed eyes. "And you're a pathetic amateur."

* * *

As Jordan sped through traffic, Jade was really examining the photos from Hellman's basement.

"Hey Jordan," Jade said finally.

"What?" she asked.

"You still got the number of those cops, right?"

Jordan looked over at her passenger. "Yeah."

"They need to run a check."

"On what? We have nothing to go on. This was a waste of time!"

The Goth showed Jordan one picture really quick as she was driving.

"What is that?" Jordan asked.

She was asking about the faded green garment in the background.

"Those are scrubs, Jordan" Jade cleared her throat before continuing. "He worked at a hospital or something."

"And you think he still does?"

The brunette shrugged and sat back. "I have to hold onto hope, even if it is small..."

"Hang on," Jordan interrupted. "Get Burbridge and Whisenhunt on the phone. Now."

"You're sure?" Jade asked.

Jordan nodded. "The security footage. When he was carrying Nate," she said. "What if he was...sedated?"

"Fuck me," Jade sighed with her eyes wide open. She was already connecting the call back to the police.


	12. Chapter 12

**A/N: We got over a huge hump. Our heroes know who the perpetrator is. Now, they just have to find him.**

* * *

Jade and Jordan managed to return by late morning. Burbridge and Whisenhunt were waiting for them.

"What do we got?" Jordan asked.

"You're gonna love us right now" Burbridge smirked.

Jade folded her arms. "Out with it!"

Whisenhunt held out a printout.

"We canvased hospitals and clinics within a hundred miles," he said. "We went through the pictures of employees by computer for any matches to Keith Hellman and we got a hit."

"Kyle Hopkins," Burbridge said. Right in his hands was the face of Keith Hellman, sans glasses with some growth.

Whisenhunt winced. "The hospital he was working at as an orderly, St. Meredith's, terminated him months ago."

"So much for our lead," Jade glowered at the cops.

"Wait a second," Jordan blinked. "Where was that hospital?"

"Um," Burbridge mused while thumbing through some papers. "Williams, Arizona."

"It's a very small town," Whisenhunt added.

Jordan looked at Jade, then back at Whisenhunt. "How far?"

"Few towns over. About 25 miles from here."

"Guess we can ask around," Jade suggested. "See if anybody knows him."

Burbridge nods, "You can if you'd like but if you find anything," he pointed. "Do not make a move without calling us."

Jade or Jordan didn't answer. They just left the room.

* * *

After Tori came to and her blurry vision settled, she wept. Once she gained her faculties, Tori regretted what she had just done.

Sure, anyone would understand the circumstances. She was literally with a gun to her head and she had the life of Jordan's husband to think about.

Jordan.

How was she going to look her in the face? They have been through a lot together, paroling the mean streets of Los Angeles. They survived chaotic shootouts, boring stakeouts, and much more. She more than just a partner. Jordan filled a hole that had been long empty since the death of Trina. They really have become sisters over time. And right now Tori felt like she had pissed all over that relationship they had built.

What would Jade say?

Jordan may be logical but the raven-haired girl from high school may not be so forgiving. She had always been emotional. It was one of the things Tori found grating initially but more endearing as their courtship wore on. Jade might not be able to look past the act itself. And Tori wouldn't blame her. She convinced Jade that sex could be more than violence and control. Tori had experienced the kind of violation that plagued Jade through most of her life and betrayed her at the same time.

The half Latina hated herself for going through with it, despite it meaning her survival.

* * *

Nathan stared at the ceiling, his last gleam of hope slipping away.

He really thought that they would be found before this got too far. Now they had gone all the way. It was only a matter of time before Keith would deal the fatal blow. Jordan had to have been worried sick about them. She probably hadn't slept since, knowing her. Nate wouldn't be at all surprised if she was on the front trenches with the police or FBI looking high and low.

She was really something. It seemed only a short time ago when he first met Jordan.

There was a standoff that occurred at a Bodega.

Nate routinely went over to the little mart for some unusual items that were imports from Mexico. He particularly fancied the Cokes and Sprites made with cane sugar, instead of high fructose corn syrup. The difference in taste was beyond compare. Nate went over to the counter, said hi to Miguel - the oldest son of the owner - and proceeded to pay for his merchandise. It was then that he heard popping sounds and (living in Southern California for a couple years) instinctively ducked as did the teen.

Three masked men with semi-automatics came barging in the establishment and shot a few shots in the ceiling and pointed their weapons at the people inside. One of the masked guys grabbed Nathan and pulled him away from the counter. He then reached over the countertop and yanked the boy to his feet. He threatened to blow his head off unless he opened the register. The tallest robber asked where the safe was and Miguel pointed to the backroom. He disappeared behind the door while the third one rounded together the customers.

The crowd control guy was barking orders when in a flash he dropped like a stone. The masked man holding the young man by his shirt looked around frantically, demanding answers as to what happened. Before his queries could be satisfied, he went down. He rolled on the floor bleeding from the shoulder. Another shot landed on his left leg which made him howl in agony.

Nathan saw his opportunity and helped the panicked consumers outside. He didn't hear the backdoor at all because when he got to the last patron, Nathan was held from behind with a gun pressed to his cheek.

"Drop it!" called out a voice from outside. It was a woman.

Jordan emerged through the front door pointing her pistol at the gunman.

"Who the hell are you, lady?" the masked man asked.

"LAPD," she said, pointing to her shield on her holster as if questioning his intelligence. "Now are you gonna drop it or not?"

"GET THE FUCK BACK!"

Jordan clicked her tongue. "I'm going to make this very easy for you. I took out your friends and they didn't see me. You - you're looking right at me, right down the barrel of my gun. What the fuck kind of chance do you have?"

Nathan heard the trigger beside his head get squeezed when a zip sound came by his temple and landed squarely thought the head of the robber behind him. While quite dead, the brute still had a good grip on Nate so when he went down so did he. It all happened so quickly that he didn't even notice the transition. One second standing up with asshole breathing down his neck; the next on the cold linoleum.

Shaking his head, he saw Jordan standing over him. The fluorescent lights made the statuesque redhead look like a guardian angel.

She held out her hand. "You alright?"

Nate didn't remember what he said, if anything, in return. He just recalled being absolutely dumbstruck by the most gorgeous woman in the world who happened to save his life. After processing his statement downtown, he hesitated before leaving the precinct and walked back to the desk where Jordan was working on some paperwork. There was barely anybody left in the squad room but Jordan was one of those cops that couldn't stand to leave anything unfinished.

"Can I buy you a coffee?"

She blinked and looked up at him. "What? Do you mean tonight?"

Nathan shrugged. "I don't know. Felt like I owed you something. You did save me life."

"Don't get too excited," she replied. "It's my job."

"It may not be a big deal to you but it is to me."

Jordan looked at the civilian quizzically, and then made a small smile.

"I guess the little things don't get past you?" she asked.

Nate shook his head.

The redhead sighed, "Fine. But you're buying me a drink. There's a bar about a block from here."

His posture perked up but he looked a tad confused.

"I thought we were going for coffee?"

"Well, I'm off duty so I can drink plus I think I remember saving your life."

Weeks after they started going out, Nathan asked Jordan what was it that attracted her to him (or, in her words made her "interested"). She said that it was the way his first instinct wasn't to run but to help the other people in the mini mart. Jordan thought it was selfless, if not a little crazy. She liked that about him, how he concerned himself about others. Though Jordan once told him that because of this "think with the heart first and the brain second" he would make both a great cop and a terrible cop.

A lot of men are grateful for what their wife is to them. But Nate wagered not many could look at the woman they have been with for years, each and every day, and see a hero. She was the silver lining, the lighthouse, his strength from the first moment he laid eyes on her.

But that was then.

As much as Nathan hoped to see his wife coming through that door with about fifty cops behind her, he sighed knowing that it was only a fantasy. Nobody was going to find them. This guy clearly had done this many times before and never been caught. People go missing all the time. Sometimes a person can be snatched in front of their home and be missing for years. Or never found at all.

Him and Tori, in the middle of nowhere, there was no chance.

* * *

**A/N: All hope seems to be lost. **

**You might want to hold on for the next chapter. It gets very intense.**


	13. Chapter 13

**A/N: Here goes, folks. This chapter (as I've warned somebody else) is probably gonna be read standing up. I don't think you'll be able to sit or lay down during this one. **

**;-)**

* * *

Williams, Arizona

Population: little over 3,000

Jade regarded the quaint town outside her window. It felt like she was almost looking at a movie set. Much of the buildings downtown seemed frozen in time. One area felt modern, then you turned a corner and it was like stepping back into the 1950's.

Jordan parked along a block of stores; which consisted of a barber, a pharmacy, a Laundromat and a Chinese restaurant.

"I'm starving," Jade said. "Let's get something quick and get going."

"Not hungry," Jordan replied.

Jade shot her a glare. "Babe, you gotta eat something. You're no use to me without your energy."

"Fine," Jordan threw up her hands and walked into the Amazing Wok. Jade was in tow.

The redhead studied the lit menu hanging from the ceiling with her arms folded.

"I'll probably get a small veggie lo mein and some egg drop soup," Jade said.

Jordan hummed aloud and shrugged. "I'll just get a couple of eggrolls. Just to get something in me."

"You just want that because you can eat them in the car," Jade chuckled as she turned to face the front window.

"What's wrong with that?"

She quickly noticed that she didn't have the brunette's attention.

"Jade?"

No answer. Just a face that was frenzied and frozen.

"Jade?"

"Th-th-th..." the pale woman swallowed. "That's him."

Jordan looked out the window and saw Keith Hellman (aka Kyle Hopkins) dressed in a blue jumpsuit getting inside a red ambulance.

"Shit," Jordan breathed, dragging Jade along.

The women ran as fast as they could to their car and skidded toward the main road.

Jade's heart was in her throat when she saw that the ambulance Hellman was driving was only three car spaces in front of them.

"That son of a bitch is an EMT," Jade growled as she smacked the dashboard hard. "Bet he has access to drugs and everything else a sick bastard like him needs."

Jordan didn't say a word. She kept her focus on the road, determined not to lose that red vehicle. They drove for about fifteen minutes before coming across disparate assortment of houses, each one yards apart from one another. Perfectly private for a monster: nobody can see or quite hear what goes on in any of these homes.

The ladies stayed their distance as best they could and slowed down to a crawl and eventually parked when they saw him turn into a long driveway and stopping in front of a two-story house.

"Okay," Jordan sighed. "Let's go."

"Wait a second," Jade put her hand on her arm. "Don't we have to call Burbridge and Whisenhunt first?"

Jordan shook her head. "But what if we're too late? What if by the time they get here, he had already killed them?"

Jade couldn't believe what she was hearing.

"Jordan, you can't..."

"Haven't you thought about what could be happening to Tori and Nathan in there? Especially after what we saw done to that girl?"

Jade tried not to think about those grisly hospital pictures. As much as a horror film addict as she was, real life gore naturally turned her stomach because she couldn't shrug it off as "fake" or "just for fun."

"I'm not standing down until I know everyone in that house is safe."

Jordan's eyes had never looked so intense before. She'd be lying if she said it didn't scare her.

"But we can't just..."

Jordan reached over Jade's lap and pushed the button on the glove compartment. As the little door flew open, a small pistol landed in Jade's hand. She looked at the black piece of plastic. She could tell by the safety being engaged that it was loaded.

"Take it," Jordan said grimly.

"But I'm not a cop..."

"And neither am I," she replied. "Not tonight."

It became real to both women that there was a very real possibility they were going to encounter death and possibly kill a man themselves.

* * *

Keith soaked a rag in chloroform and tied it onto Tori's face with some nylon rope. She struggled for a half a minute before succumbing and going limp.

"That's a good girl," he smirked.

He looked to the other side of the room where Nathan hung from his legs. He was secured by one of those over the phone exercise contraptions that can be fitted onto a doorframe.

"What are you...?"

Keith stopped when he noticed the question was being asked by the upside-down man.

"Oh, you're awake. Good" He picked up a buck knife and ran it along his cheek. "See, I thought you were going to stay past out until I killed you but I much prefer this, able to really savor it."

Nate couldn't say much in retort because of the blood rushing to his head. He just remained still. Keith cocked his head, looking at Keith.

"What's the matter, guy?" Keith asked. "No fight left in you?"

"I give up," Nathan sighed, closing his eyes. "I'm dead already."

Keith moved closer and held up his knife, watching it catch the light for a few seconds before plunging it into Nathan's neck, right above the shoulder. The blood came forth with the power of a waterfall. The floor below him was beginning to quickly become covered in red.

"Sorry, friend" Keith morbidly told Nate. "But I'm bored with you."

He left as the gurgling and gagging became quieter.

* * *

Tori was dragged up the stairs, wrapped in a bed sheet. Keith left her on the kitchen floor while he went outside to the ambulance.

He checked the passenger side. On the seat he had some small bags and in the rear was a big piece of rolling luggage.

"New town, new start"

Keith had overheard the APB on the missing persons over the CB radio. All law enforcement and medical personnel within jurisdiction were notified. So when he got the heads up, he decided to pull stake and skip town.

He walked back into the kitchen "Guess they're people looking for you after all, sweetheart..."

Tori was gone.

Before he could react, cold steel touched the back of his neck.

"On your knees, dipshit" warned Jordan.

Keith quickly turned around and tried to wrestle the gun away from Jordan, only to get a foot in the stomach and smacking the back of his head on the floor.

"You want to play this game, Hellman?"

Jade emerged from the open door, glowering down at Keith on her way to the basement.

"Is Tori okay?" Jordan asked.

"She out cold but she's alive."

The Goth gave the cretin a swift kick in the ribs before proceeding to the basement.

"Be careful," Jordan added as Jade vanished from her sight.

* * *

Jade scanned the area. It was made up of a series of interconnected rooms. Each one, she expected to see Nathan somewhere but kept getting disappointed. She finally came across the first shut door down here. She turned the knob and gasped at what was in front of her.

Nathan looked as white as a ghost and Jade quickly jumped to get him down. Unable to completely compensate for his body weight, he landed with a thud. Jade rolled him over and tried to stop the bleeding with her hands. Touching his throat, she noticed that he wasn't breathing. Her heart sank as she looked in his eyes and saw the gleam was no longer there.

"FUCK!" she screamed as she ran to a closet and grabbed blankets and anything she could find to wrap up the gaping wound.

"Stay with me, Nate" Jade ordered. "Nathan...don't die on me!"


	14. Chapter 14

**A/N: Reunited...so why doesn't it feel so good?**

**Strap yourselves in - we're out of the lion's den but we have a long way to go.**

**But first...**

**Some shout-outs:**

**FuckTheReaper - my friend from the fuuuuuutuuure! (okay, only 16 hours ahead - just give me the winning lottery numbers!)**

**Invader Johnny - you manage to make these great David Caruso C.S.I. buttons for each chapter, I swear **

**jayakajordan - you're probably not a redheaded amazon with a badge in real life but I bet you're just as cool.**

**Jeremy Shane - short and sweet, as always**

**LovezObsessed - good to have some new blood aboard**

**Lushcoltrane - your reviews make what I've written seem way smarter than I was when I wrote it**

**Quitting Time - nothing makes me hit the keyboard faster than when you "can't wait"**

**PenNamesAreThereForAReason - been kind of quiet but like it when you leave your mark**

**readerluver128 - I like when readers get all emotional and your reactions are priceless **

**ScottyBgood - you're one that gets so into it, that you make me ponder deeper for the next chapters**

**sloth13 - glad you liked the first story and it prompted you to read this. It's still my personal favorite **

**TimelessReader - I can hear you chanting "please...please...please...please...please" as you read my stuff**

**Victorious Rox101 - you're pretty awesome sauce yourself**

* * *

Hellman was handcuffed to the banister until police arrived. It allowed Jordan to investigate the screams coming from the basement. Fortunately, Jordan and Jade were able to get the bleeding somewhat under control. It really was serendipitous having a fully stocked ambulance outside. They fashioned a crude but strong bandage consisted of gauze and tape. Working together, the women carried Nathan up the stairs to the ground floor. By the time they made it, EMT's proper were there to place Nate on a gurney and into a bug onto the nearest hospital, St. Meredeth's.

Burbridge and Whisenhunt were helicoptered in to quickly assess the scene. The cops regarded the flashing lights and personnel that besieged the secluded residence. In the corner of his eye, Burbridge caught a flash of red hair and turned just in time to see Jordan - visibly shaken - enter an ambulance along with her husband. He didn't look good at all so Burbridge quickly suppressed his first instinct to admonish the off duty cop for being reckless by not having backup. She had enough on her mind so he let it go.

Whisenhunt nudged his partner. They were taking out a retrained Keith Hellman. Burbridge got right in the bearded man's face and smiled.

"End of the line."

* * *

Though her fists were clenched with rage, Jade understood the need for Nathan to be ambulance away first and for her and Tori to ride in the next one. It arrived about five minutes after the first one left. EMT's determined that since the only track mark on Tori's body was beginning to heal, they figured she was knocked out by a substance. Depending on how much Hellman used versus Tori's body weight, it was uncertain for how long she would be out. Smelling salts were not having the desired effect. She must have been that physically fatigued.

Jade reached over to touch Tori's hand and started to squeeze it, hoping for a squeeze back. When it didn't come, she thought she was going to fall apart.

The people inside the ambulance were periodically asking Jade questions while they were working on Tori. But she didn't hear them. All she did was stare into the closed eyes on her love. She cursed herself for not finding her sooner. Even though she was not the wimpy princess from high school anymore, Jade could only imagine how devastatingly terrifying it must have been to know that one day you were going to die but never knowing when it would come.

* * *

Jade felt a bump when the ambulance came to a halt. Door swung open and orderlies assisted the EMT's with getting Tori down onto the conveyance's wheels. Once down to earth, she was rolled quickly through the emergency receiving. Despite being fatigued, Jade did her damndest to keep up with the rush of medical personnel.

"We tried to revive her but she isn't responding," one of the original men from the ambulance told the doctor.

"If she was chloroformed, she might have been given an exceptionally dangerous amount."

The doctor nodded, trying to process all this information fast.

"Let's get her in D-3," the doc pointed at the last wooden door on the left.

Jade tried to get in but the brunette was forced to stay aside by one of the EMT's.

"I'm sorry, Miss" he said sympathetically. "But you can't go in there."

The pale woman peered over the burly man's shoulder but couldn't get a view of Tori with all the doctors and nurses milling about.

She sighed heavily. "Fine."

* * *

Jade paced back and forth, her mind racing. She knew she had to get some coffee to calm her nerves. Unfortunately, the vending machine that dispenses coffee in the little Dixie cups is broken. She kicked the damn thing and shouted. Two nurses turned in her direction but once she gazed at them with narrow hate-filled eyes, they swiftly went about their own business.

Not knowing what else to do, she called Jordan. The phone rang but nobody picked up. Jade took a deep breath and tried again. It rang about four times until the call connected.

"Jade?"

It was Jordan. She had been crying.

"Hey, Jordan" Jade choked out. "Where are you?"

"Um," she sniffed. "Yeah, I'm on the second floor."

She sighed. "Okay, I'm heading there now. I just don't want to be alone right now."

"Me neither."

* * *

The elevator doors opened and Jade walked out to the B-wing of the hospital. It only took her a minute to come across the promenade. It was a waiting room but it had some paintings and local history on the walls. Plus it was located conveniently by the bathrooms and cafeteria.

Jade found Jordan laying on her back, her tall form occupying four armless chairs. She looked like she had been staring at the ceiling for the longest time.

"Jay," Jade said.

The redhead looked up. "How is she?" she asked.

Jade shrugged. "Not sure yet. They think she may have been chloroformed with a high dose."

Jordan bit her lip, contemplating her partner laid up like that but she had to be strong for Jade.

"Hey..." she whispered, making a sad smile. "She'll get through it. I've seen Tori survive almost anything."

"Thanks," Jade said fighting back tears. "And...Nate?"

Jordan rolled over, looking into space.

"I don't know anything," she replied. "They're still working on him."

"Oh," Jade's face went downcast as she sat down in a chair across from Jordan.

Jordan closed her eyes.

"Remember when I said how I didn't want to be alone either?"

Jade nodded.

Tears welled up in the tall woman's eyes. "I really don't want to be alone."

The brunette reached over and took her hand. "Jordan, listen to me - you can't give up. If we gave up, we never would've found Tori and Nate. Who knows what could've happened. For all you know, we got to him just in time."

"I want to believe that..."

"Then do so," Jade ordered, raising an eyebrow.

Jordan sniffed and rubbed her eyes. "When did you become so pushy?"

Jade smiled. "Ask Tori; I've been this way since Hollywood Arts."

* * *

Men in blue scrubs worked feverishly around the pale body of Nathan Silver.

Surgeons began to be consulted on whether or not any arteries were penetrated, "damage control" was in effect. For a body that lost this much blood and in danger of exsanguination; maintaining body temperature is crucial. The heat inside the O.R. was higher than room temperature to keep the examined from getting cold to keep the body healing itself.

It was important that the doctors hastened hypothermia, acidosis and coagulopathy in cases of blood transfusion. Since he never got critically ill nor was anybody in his family serious injured up to this point, Nathan had never found out his blood type.

Doctors breathed a sigh of relief when a resident returned with the expedited test results: the patient was AB.

"Alright people," the doc ordered. "Let's give him 2.5 liters, STAT."

"Are you sure?" one of the nurses asked.

"This man is a Class II hemorrhage," the doc replied. "By the time you return with the plasma he will be in level 3."

"Let's go, let's go, let's go!" One of the assistants clapped their hands, coaxing the nurse to move quickly.

The men and women in scrubs examined the stab wound. It doesn't seem that any main cable were penetrated, thankfully. The massive blood loss was later explained to the members of the operating room by police. The victim was hanging upside down. So, that angle with a big wound underneath the heart (at the time) Nathan Silver would've bled out from the gravity.

After finally patching up the neck, doctors were ready to administer the fresh blood. With the amount lost in such a short amount of time, the transfer went slowly so the body wouldn't go into shock. Then it was time to begin the waiting game: was the patient going to respond on the monitor? They couldn't move him out of the O.R. to a proper room until his body reached a certain level of stability.

It was a long night from the moment the patient was brought in. The medical people took turns taking 30 minute breaks to either close their eyes or grab something to eat or drink.

A beep.

One of the surgeons who stuck around because there was nobody on his rounds that night checked his phone for a text. Nothing.

Then another beep.

He looked at the black screen with the green and red lines.

"Doc!" he called out. "Look."

A third beep and then a fourth. They were getting closer together.

The doctor placed his hand on the top of Nathan's head.

"You're one tough motherfucker."


	15. Chapter 15

**A/N: Nathan looks like he'll pull through but what of Tori?**

**This will hopefully keep you all satisfied for a few days.**

**I want to take this time to wish all of you a Merry Christmas or whatever your poison is.**

**Should get another chapter out between now and New Years. **

**Love you guys.**

* * *

The half Latina laid in her own room on the west wing of the hospital. It had been about twenty-five minutes since doctors last checked up on her. The darkness she had been floating was ebbing away and was being replaced by harsh - and very recent - memories.

Horrible smell, almost like cleaner, and then everything went black.

_He knocked me out with chloroform, the bastard. Must have run out of that drug he kept using on her and Nate._

_Nate._

_Where was he?_

_What had he done to him?_

_What the...? Fuck! Why is it so bright?_

Tori turned her head, unable to find the strength to lift up her arm to cover her eyes. The narrow slits slowly grew as her eyeballs got used to the fluorescents. As her view became more clear, she could see an I.V. and one of those heating vents on the floor.

_A hospital? Thank God. _

_They must have found me. Us. Where is he?_

Tori turned her head back to facing the ceiling. Feeling was beginning to manifest once more in her limbs. She began to try and shift her body but she was stuck. Not restrained by cuffs or ropes but with being connected to machines behind her by small tubes. Tori gritted her teeth and forced herself to relax, knowing that she would jeopardize something a nurse set up. She could see that her left hand was connected to the I.V. Makes sense; the son of a bitch didn't give them food or water for days.

No wonder she lacked the strength. Tori recalled the after effects were more devastating each time she was injected with Keith's drug. Her empty stomach must have absorbed it quickly. There was still a hollow feeling in her guts but Tori tried to forget this, telling herself that the I.V. was going to take care of her malnourishment. For the first time in days, someone was looking after her.

It was time now to focus on two crucial goals: Make sure Nathan was alive and somehow get word out to Jade that she's safe. No doubt Jordan would be in tow when she would fulfill the latter.

Tori felt around with her right hand, trying to find a...yes, the remote control. Her long, thin fingers roamed the hunk of plastic, deliberately pressing every button. TV comes on, volume goes up, channel changes, volume goes down, channel changes back, TV turns off. She let out a frustrating groan before feeling what seemed like the largest button of all on the remote. It had to be this one. She must have pressed it twenty times.

A nurse came running in seemingly out of breath.

"Oh blessed, you're awake" she smiled. "How are you?"

Tori's brain was sending the words to her mouth but the speech was coming out very disorganized and almost inaudible.

"ssso...t-t-tired..." was the only English she could get out.

"Sweetie, you have to rest" the nurse warned, putting her hand over Tori's forehead in a comforting manner. "You have some injuries and second and third degree burns here and there. It's going to take time. You have been through quite a lot from what I've been told and what I've seen."

The tan woman closed her eyes, unable to nod her head. She was right. Her body had to recover. Unfortunately, her slurred speech and inability to write at the moment was going to hasten her progress to contact Jade or Jordan as well as learn about Nate's status.

All she could do was hope for the best.

* * *

Jordan perked up from where she lay and nudged a nodding Jade to wake up. Doctors and the surgical team were coming back from the room they took Nathan in.

"How is he?" Jordan asked eagerly.

The one doctor took off his round glasses and sighed, smiling.

"That man you married is an impressive specimen. He's going to make it."

The redhead closed her eyes and collapsed on the brunette who managed to catch her just in time.

"Really?" Jordan asked, misty-eyed.

"Hopefully we'll have him in average condition in about 12 hours or so. Your husband is what we call the universal receiver. Finding enough blood to compensate for his massive loss was not difficult."

Jade put her hand over her head, running fingers thought her onyx locks. "Jesus."

"Can we see him?" Jordan then asked.

"Not yet," one of the other docs chimed in. "Let's give him a few more hours until he's more stable. And even then he's not out of the woods yet. He has been through hell as we saw around his body."

Both the redhead and the brunette shut their eyes and shook their heads, refusing to envision what may have gone down in that house. Not now. That time would come later. Right now, everyone had to be alive.

"Excuse me." Jade's words were polite but her tone impatient. "But can we get any information about Tori Vega?"

"We'll find out," one of the nurses nodded.

Jade nodded in return.

* * *

Keith Hellman (aka Kyle Hopkins) sat in interrogation for six hours as FBI were brought in and debriefed on the case. Apparently, evidence around the house indicted him on some missing persons reports that graced state lines.

An older man in a black suit and tie came in and glared at Hellman.

"Who are you?" smirked Keith.

"Special Agent Simon Knoll, FBI" he replied in a very calculated way while brandishing his credentials. "We have been looking for you for a time." The fed squinted his eyes at the average heighted man sitting down. "Mmmm, I expected a man who could overpower his victims."

Keith tried to play it off like he wasn't insulted by the comment. "Sorry to disappoint."

"But you found a way, right?" he asked throwing down a file folder. "tranquilizers, tasers and chemicals. Wonder if you could ever handle a man one on one."

Hellman shrugged.

"I think we'll find out, won't we?" he smiled. "When you're serving time in Folsom Prison. Of course that's if and only if you don't go on death row. You like using needles, Hellman? You're gonna love the government's needle."

"Physical evidence is nice and all but it doesn't prove intent. Even I know that." He then sat back, glowing as if he thinks he's won. "Good luck finding a witness..."

"We already have them, so..."

Keith blinked, rubbing the bottoms of his teeth with his tongue.

"Oh?"

"Yes, that man you tried to murder before fleeing with Officer Vega was declared alive hours ago."

Keith's smug expression waned.

"And I am certain that both of them, once they're fit to stand trial, would testify. Heck, I wouldn't be surprised if they weren't chomping at the bit to stick a knife into you."

Agent Knoll gathered his things and was ready to leave before looking back at Hellman.

"See, you're going to fry one way or another. We have you tied to the crimes committed in that house, as well as your old house."

He shook his head, "You're lying."

"You shouldn't forget the one that got away, Hellman. I'll be seeing you."

The metal door slammed with a loud echo. Keith stared down at the shiny table and then at the two-way mirror on the wall.

On the other side was Whisenhunt and Burbridge escorting Chloe Mishky.

"Do me a favor," she said. "Make sure he pays."

"I promise," Burbridge replied.

* * *

Tori was coming out of another draining sleep. As tired as she was she didn't feel particularly energetic when she awoke.

This time there was a weight on her chest. She had a mini panic attack, momentarily thinking that she was being retrained.

But it was a smell that calmed her almost immediately.

Sweet.

Familiar.

It was lilac.

She remembered those wonderful nights with Jade where she was rather restless. Tori would usually spoon with her from behind, burying her face in hair darker than deepest space. Jade would use this lilac shampoo and conditioner and when Tori took in the aroma of her lover's hair, the aromatics was enough to make her drift off to sleep. Lilac always seemed to work, even when she was a baby and her dad would give her baths with lilac baby shampoo.

She felt the hairs tickler her face. It was as smooth and delicate as it smelled good.

_It's can't be._

Tori began to stroke the hair, eliciting comforting moans from the woman laying on her.

_Please don't be a dream. This isn't fair. Please let it be real._

_I need this to be real._

The half Latina moved her hand slowly along the black hair until coming across silky skin. Her fingers roamed the smooth surface until coming across plump lips.

Instinctively, the lips pursed and so gently and sweetly, kissed Tori's fingers. She then all of a sudden felt the pressure off her chest and face to face with Jade West.

"Tori?" Jade asked.

Tori smiled the biggest smile she could manage.

"You came for me," Tori whispered.

"Of course I did," Jade said and then kissed Tori's forehead.

"Jade?"

The pale woman nodded.

"Can you hold me like you were doing before?"

"Sure, baby" Jade replied.

She snuggled close to Tori and wrapped her arms around her.

"Nobody can hurt you now, baby"


	16. Chapter 16

**A/N: Hope everyone's holidays were happy. **

**On to Chapter 16 **

**Please read and review**

**;-)**

* * *

Nathan woke up to the sound of an EKG machine beeping. The beeps were spaced apart by half a second or so but they were consistent. Deliberate.

Immediately, he became conscious of a painful sensation in his jugular. His movements were greatly limited. His neck was in a brace of some kind, no doubt prevent any interference from the very crucial bandages.

He remember Keith's expression before plunging the knife into his flesh and pulling out the knife at such an angle that the most damage could be done. Nathan could actually see the blood flowing freely from his neck wound to the point he was almost blinded by the thick liquid.

Slowly Nate was becoming more aware of his surroundings. He didn't remember anything after he grew dizzy from the blood loss. Nothing. Now, all of a sudden, he was in a hospital room. Whatever tenseness in his body exited when he processed that fact. But it soon returned when he got the overwhelming impression that he was all alone.

Stretching out his left arm, he accidentally knocked over a plastic bin for ice (much like from a motel). It land with a clear thunk on the floor.

Jordan jerked her head up, dropping the Time magazine she was reading before nodding off.

"Baby?" she asked, standing up.

All she could hear was a low moan from the bed.

She made it over just in time for his head to turn toward her and right there they locked eyes for the first time in 72 hours.

"Hey," she smiled. "You're back."

"sorry," he winced.

Jordan kissed him on the side of his mouth so as to not obstruct his breathing.

"You don't get to say sorry, never be sorry. It wasn't your fault."

Her eyes began to sting with fresh, salty tears.

"Okay?" she insisted.

Nathan blinked that he understood.

Inside; he was racked with guilt at his betrayal.

* * *

News of Tori's reappearance (and depending on who you ask) disappearance spread back to the precinct and Jade's phone was blowing up all day long. By the early evening, she had over 60 texts and 23 voice messages.

Police discovered Tori's and Nathan's phones completely smashed, next to a tire iron. Dumping Keith Hellman's hard drive revealed that he emailed pictures to himself before destroying the phones. He had pictures of not just Jade and Jordan but of close friends and co-workers. When one personal picture revealed that the captives knew Cat Valentine, the actress. Investigators pondered if he would've somehow targeted such a high profile victim. Manson, Chapman and others chose their targets on clout alone.

Keith Hellman, prognosis as a sociopath but not mentally defective to stand trial. At the end of the day, his illness was a complete lack of conscience. No therapy or amount of prison time could cure that. He would always be a monster.

Given the severity of the harm inflicted on the victims and the diversity of his abductions; the case was to be filed for State Supreme Court. Unfortunately, the state of Arizona had recently suspended the death penalty at the behest of its current governor.

When informed of this, Jordan checked with the FBI agents in charge of the Hellman case and they told her that so far they haven't made him for any crimes in other states at this time. If they make a good case for a death penalty somewhere else, then they'll allow extradition.

Authorities convened upon St. Meredeth's to get official statements from the survived.

* * *

There was a knock on Tori's door and an official-looking man in a black suit and tie appeared.

"Miss Vega?" the man asked.

"That's _Captain_," an impudent Jade said as she stood, staring the G-man in the face.

The half Latina sighed. While she found this side of Jade to be grating at times when it wasn't necessary, she silently forgave the Goth who was only acting out of protectiveness.

"My apologies," he replied, showing his credentials to both Tori and Jade. "But I am Agent Burrows of the FBI. The severity of the case that you have had the misfortune..."

"**_Misfortune_**?" Jade growled.

The agent shot her a glance and she blew a tuft of hair in frustration. Tori gave her a silent cease and desist look. He may be unknowingly insensitive but Jade knew she had to try harder to hold her tongue. He was a Fed after all.

"The ordeal that you and Mr. Silver were involved in had been perpetrated by a man whose exploits have breached the boundaries of his home state. That officially makes this a federal matter."

"I understand," Tori nodded. She braced herself, knowing what this was all leading to.

"And you should also understand that in anticipation of placing Mr. Hellman before the grand jury that we would require statements from his surviving victims."

Jade stomped in protest. "Are you serious right now? You're going to do this when she's only been here for _two and a half days_?"

"Jade," Tori strained sitting up. "It's okay, really. I...I...want to. Just to get it out of the way."

Burrows turned to Jade. "I'm sorry, ma'am. I'd rather let such folks who have been through so much heal but its best to do this sooner than later. Rather get all this done while the memories are still fresh. Besides, I wouldn't dare get in the way of her recovery. Doing this down the line, there's risk of opening up old wounds."

The dark haired woman sighed heavily.

"If you let him get away..." she warned.

"Ma'am, that is the last thing I want to do" he replied sincerely. "I'm sure the police made you aware of Chloe Mishky."

Jade nodded.

"Well, I actually met her. She's been diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder. It could've been worse. I've seen victims of violent crimes sink into catatonia. There's no telling if they'll ever get better."

Tori and Jade exchanged glances.

"But she managed to testify."

"Well," Tori said, cracking her neck. "If she can find the strength, why not me huh?"

Jade stared out into the hallway.

"You're welcome to stay if you'd like" Burrows offered. "Considering the circumstances, comfort of familiar company is okay..."

"No, I'd rather get some fresh coffee."

Before Tori could say anything Jade ran out the door.

"What...?"

"Don't take it to heart, Tori" Burrows said as he brought out a small digital voice recorder and a notepad. "While people closest to victims want to help and support their loved ones, majority of them would rather be spared the lurid details."

Tori knew that Jade was a confirmed horror film and freak show addict but had to give the woman credit to know when the line was drawn in real life. She smiled, knowing that she loved Tori too much to hear about her getting slowly destroyed.

"I guess it's for the best," Tori sighed. "Okay, let's start."


	17. Chapter 17

**A/N: Glad you're all loving the story so far. And I'm seeing some new faces too. This is just great.**

**Here we go...**

* * *

"Okay, Tori" Burrows cleared his throat. "Let's start from the beginning."

The half Latina stretched and looked out the window just in time to catch three birds flying past.

"We were driving to Flagstaff when we made a stop at a rest area."

Agent Burrows pointed with his pen. "The Eisenhower Interstate?"

"That's correct." Tori thought for a second. "It was me, Jade, Jordan and Nathan. The four of us separated almost right away. After a few minutes I met back up with Nate."

"When did you come across Keith Hellman?" he asked a little bluntly.

Tori bit her lower lip before continuing. "We were coming out of the main building through a back exit and then Hellman drove up in a van asking for directions. In hindsight, I should have went with my instincts but I had no signals from this guy..."

It was then Burrows stopped the recorder and put his pen down. His face was serious yet sincere.

"Tori, you can't do this to yourself. You had no way of knowing; this guy was working a similar con for years. His whole image is designed to lower your defenses."

The tan woman shut her eyes tightly and nodded, understanding his logic but still kicking herself for being careless.

"Continue," said Burrows as he pressed record once more.

"He then tried to get out of his car but fell. Naturally, Nate and I went over to see what was the matter. But then all of a sudden, I became aware of this horrible tingling just charging through my body. All my muscles became rigid and I passed out. I could hear Nathan shouting something in that second it all happened."

Burrows nodded. "Yes, we found a taser gun on the premises. Do you remember when you came to?"

"I didn't know the time," Tori shook her head. "I wasn't even sure if it was day or night. All I could see was a small room with a bulb hanging from the ceiling."

Tori continued to describe her three days in captivity.

Over the course of that period was a mad carnival consisting of physical and psychological tortures. She was bound, gagged, drugged, starved, sleep deprived, burned, beaten, and forced into sexual situations at gunpoint or knifepoint.

The one part of her sexual humiliations that didn't involve Keith, she tried to gloss over. Tori had half a mind to completely omit that sordid event but common sense prevented her from doing so. While doctors were working on her, she overheard about a rape kit being run. She knew that any DNA found would further implicate Hellman of his horrendous crimes. However, were they to find any evidence of her having intercourse with Nathan; Tori had to put it out there that he was in no way involved with her torture.

He was just as much a victim as she.

"I hadn't told him this but there was a brief moment where I did..." Tori had to will herself to say it. "Orgasmed...during..."

Agent Burrows stopped the recording when she started to cry. The grand jury didn't need to hear this woman trying to collect herself. She had already laid bare things that other people would've kept locked inside until they have undergone years of therapy. He admired how strong she was. It convinced him the things he had read about her on the job were true.

But even the strongest of us can still be broken.

"Tori..." Burrows sighed. "As a cop I'm certain you have seen your share of sexual violence."

She reluctantly nodded. Brief flashes of Jade's past went through her mind.

"How many of them thought that it wasn't rape if they had an orgasm?"

Tori looked at the man in black.

"Quite a few," she replied.

"You know that its first a biological reaction, an emotional one second."

The half Latina squinted. "What are you? A therapist?"

"When I went for criminal justice," Burrows adjusted himself in his chair. "I also studied psychology. Figured that's the one aspect of criminology that most people overlook when its very crucial."

Tori nodded, "Because it means the difference between a dead victim and a live one."

"Right," he smiled. "Are we okay to proceed?"

"Yeah," she nodded.

* * *

Jade sat in the hospital cafeteria, coffee in front of her getting cold. The lump in her throat was too great for her to sip her favorite beverage.

The table where she sat by herself near a window overlooking the parking lot was littered with crumpled up papers from a notepad. She usually kept the small pad for whenever ideas would come to her. Jade still wanted to try to write or do something very similar that was creative.

But this time it wasn't about writing stories. It was about writing non-fiction.

Jade made several attempts to write out what she was feeling but every time it didn't come out right and tossed it aside, starting over.

Finally, she huffed and doggedly scrawled on the white page. Jade gave it a once over and then read it again. She sighed, feeling contented that this was the best she could do. There wasn't much time to keep trying this over and over.

The pale woman, clutching her bag, walked over to the nurse's station and handed her a folded piece of paper.

"Excuse me?" she asked as politely as she could because she needed for this to be carried out. "Could you make sure that this gets to Tori Vega, please?"

The young woman with curly hair smiled, "Certainly."

"Thank you," Jade smiled in return.

After that, she ran out the main door.

* * *

After almost two hours, Agent Burrows felt that he had enough of a testimony to assist in nailing Keith Hellman to the wall.

"So what happens now?" Tori asked. "Not totally accustomed to being on this side of the situation."

Burrows chuckled.

"Now, I'm going to get Mr. Silver's statement."

"He's all yours," Jordan said, standing in the doorway.

"Ah, yes" he smiled. "You must be Jordan."

She looked at Tori and then back at the fed.

"My reputation proceeds me?" she asked.

"No," he shrugged. "But word about a six foot redhead travels fast."

Jordan nodded in agreement.

"Alright, I'll see you ladies later."

Agent Burrows left the room and Jordan plopped in the now empty chair beside Tori.

"So how was it?" Jordan asked.

"Pretty thorough," Tori replied. "I mean obviously the parts where I was unconscious were fuzzy."

The redhead gave the brunette a 'no shit' look.

"Hey Tori, have you seen Jade lately?"

Tori shook her head. "No, she went to get some coffee about when the guy came to talk to me."

"When was that?"

The tan woman looked at the clock.

"Mmm, about one o'clock."

Jordan nodded. "She probably went for some coffee or took a nap in the waiting room or something."

"She seemed tired," Tori agreed.

"How are you holding up?" Jordan asked.

Toru shrugged, "Okay, I guess." She lifted her gown enough to show the side of her midriff. Jordan felt the bubbly skin from the second and third degree burns. She shook her head. "There's nothing they can do about that."

"I can see why Jade probably skedaddled before the session began."

"And that's probably why you're here and not with Nate?" Tori asked.

Jordan bit the inside of her cheek. "It hurts too much, Tori. I mean I thought he was going to die. I thought I'd never see him again."

"Hey," Tori smiled taking Jordan's hand. "Its okay; we made it. Because of you two, we made it. And I'm not just talking about you getting us."

The redhead raised an eyebrow.

"When we were down there," Tori began. "The only light that me and Nathan had was thinking about you and Jade. How much we wanted to hold our love once more and imagine ourselves far away from that hell."

Jordan smiled. "When he's better, I am taking him far away from all of this. Enough vacation - we're going home."

"Where is Jade?" Tori mused.

"I'll find her..."

Jordan was about to get up when a nurse burst into the room to check on Tori's machines.

"How are we?" the girl asked.

"Fine," Tori sighed.

The nurse made sure everything was in order, collected a few pages printed out showing Tori's vitals, and turned to leave. Jordan was close behind her because she too was leaving.

"Oh," the nurse said in the hallway, pivoting around, almost knocking over Jordan.

"Hey," she said in protest.

"Sorry," the nurse replied. "But I forgot something." She dug into her shirt pocket and handed it to Jordan. "This is for Miss Vega. Can you give it to her?"

Jordan nodded, "Sure."

As the nurse was walking away, Jordan looked behind her at the door to Tori's room. Her curiosity winning out, she opening the piece of paper and saw it was a note.

It was from Jade.

She read it carefully. It said how Jade was telling Tori that there was something she had to do. Instinctively, Jordan raced down to the lobby and across the street to the parking lot.

Sure enough, their rental car was gone.

"Shit," she said.

* * *

Jade was parked behind a pizzeria that sat across from the police station.

She looked over to the municipal building, knowing that Keith Hellman was inside somewhere. But not for long. The FBI was surely going to transport him soon. If she was going to act, there was no allowing herself to hesitate.

Jade opened her bag and fished out the gun that Jordan gave her the other night. She forgot she had it until this morning.

Her mind was fighting over what it wanted to do and Jade finally decided.

Checking to make sure it was still loaded and the safety was off, she put it back in her purse close to the top so she could draw it out with one deft move.

"Your ass is mine, Hellman."


	18. Chapter 18

**A/N: Jadey's got a gun.  
**

**Please read and review**

**;-)**

**Quick shout out: People send your love (and reviews) to FuckTheReaper's way. She's been having a tough time and could really use the pick me up. Let her know we all love her.**

**Also, to Jessica Girl Forever: I really hope you don't decide to go. I would like to see more from you. Please don't be "one and done." I felt like quitting before but I've really enjoyed myself.**

* * *

Jade closed her eyes and took a deep breath. Opening her eyelids, she set one more sight on her target before getting out of the car.

She walked slowly but deliberately across the quiet street. The only thing that past by was a tow truck on its way supposedly to pick up a customer or the parking violator of an even bigger customer.

The simple single-story building sprawled to cover a lot of ground. The building itself stretched all around to include the Fire Department, the public library and the community center. Jade saw from the signage she passed that the property also doubled for town meetings as well as a place to vote come election time. Reduce, reuse and recycle with architecture.

The Goth charged up the wheelchair access ramp and pushed her way through the front doors.

Inside were dark brown desks and chairs all above a pale green carpet that looked like it had seen better days. Jade had seen banks that looked better than this police station.

Near the front door was a guard and further along, past the desks, was yet another guard.

Jade tried not to make eye contact with the uniformed officers and trudged forward. Before she was clear of the second guard, a cacophonous alarm blared that reverberated off the walls. It made Jade's ears ring. Before she knew it, both guards had her by the arms, one each.

"Ma'am," one of them said. "What do you have?"

Jade was so nervous and surprised that she was a babbling mess.

"Look here, Gutierrez" one of the officers said, looking in Jade's bag. He then fished out the gun, pointing it down for safety reasons. "What is this?"

Again Jade, very out of her element, was tripping over her words.

_Say something_, her mind shouted.

"It's...not mine..."

_That fucking helps, genius._

"Then where did you get it?"

"Me," said a voice behind them.

The officers turned and saw Jordan.

"This is your handgun, ma'am?" one of the guards pressed.

"Yes," Jordan nodded. "Here." She fished in her purse and produced her police badge and accompanying license to carry a concealed weapon. "If you run the serial number, you'll see that its clean and registered to me."

"Then what is she doing with it, officer?"

Jordan sighed and shook her head at Jade.

"She always lands herself in these crazy predicaments. Let me explain - we took a taxi and as we got out, she must have mistook my gun for one that was left behind by somebody else. She was just turning it in like anyone would. Right, Jade?"

The brunette stood there, looking around at the big cops surrounding her. She reluctantly nodded.

"Sorry about this, boys" Jordan turned on her most charming grin. "She's harmless, really. Jadey bear just attracts bad luck."

"Okay," one of the cops nodded. "Just let us run the history on the firearm."

Jordan grinned and pointed to the officer's chest, who shivered at the woman's touch. "You two are so by the book," she said in a sultry voice.

After ten minutes, the gun was checked for prints. Only Jordan and Jade have handled it. There was no past history on the weapon; it was brand new and purchased legally at a local L.A. gun store. Jordan liked how cops were given a discount there. It made the sellers feel safer being on the good side of the LAPD.

Once the cops were satisfied with their story, they let the ladies go.

* * *

Jordan sat up in the driver's seat while Jade was to her right, fully reclined into a horizontal position. She laid there with her hands over her eyes, shielding them from the sun which was pouring through the back windshield.

"So..." mused Jordan. "You really thought you could just waltz into a police station..._today, in this era_...and just smuggle a pistol and nobody would know?"

"Apparently," Jade sighed.

The redhead slammed the wheel, scoffing. "Honey, you've seen way too much television."

Jordan reached over and pulled the small lever to the side of the passenger seat. Jade came up with a jolt, her face almost colliding with the dashboard.

"What were you thinking?" she asked.

Jade shot Jordan a look but her eyes were given away that she was wounded.

"Just forget it," she replied.

"Oh, I get it" Jordan nodded. "You think I wouldn't understand."

The brunette looked up at her, confused. "What?"

"Jade, you and I are a dying breed."

"What does that mean?" she asked.

Jordan turned in her seat to face Jade eye to eye.

"Did you ever hear about the time I was suspended for three weeks for beating a suspect in interrogation?"

Jade's blue-green eyes widened at that.

"No," she replied, shaking her head.

"Well I was. Apparently, this guy had information leading us to blowing the lid off a human trafficking ring. Children and teenagers being sold around the country like dry goods. They were purchased for anything from domestic servants to sexual slaves."

"Jesus," Jade breathed.

"This flunky was a numbers runner for the logistics business which served as the front for the trafficking game. Containers with human beings inside arrived on vessels and ported onto trucks which would take them to warehouses. From there, perspective buyers would check out the...merchandise." She shivered at that last word.

"So, did you get information out of him?" Jade asked.

Jordan lowered her head. "Yeah, it led us to the dummy company on the wharfs where they received the containers teeming with living bodies."

Jade blinked. "But...that's...good, right?"

The redhead looked the brunette dead in the eye.

"No. It wasn't. Because of me losing my cool and letting my heart override my brain, I could've let those bastards walk. Brutal force would have been used in court to throw out any evidence that he confessed to. I could have single handedly dismantled everything that my fellow officers and allies in the district attorney's office had worked so hard for."

Jordan turned her head to look out the window.

"Doesn't take very long for one to make a reputation."

That hit Jade West close to home. She marched through the halls of Hollywood Arts, poised and ready to pounce like a lioness. 'Queen Bitch' was a common term for her, as was 'Ice Princess'. Before she met Tori Vega, Jade didn't know that kindness can win you things in life. Despite growing up in her opinion, she still had strains of her former self.

Was this attempted rampage beyond the pale of something she would've tried in high school? What is somebody almost killed Beck while he was still her boyfriend? She probably would have made sure that the perpetrator was six feet under.

"I get it," Jade nodded. "People think you're a psycho bitch but in reality your heart is so strong that it can destroy if you let it. Loving someone until it hurts can feel unbelievably good..."

"But the downside is it can land you in a lot of hot water," Jordan added.

"Right," smirked Jade brushing back one of her dark locks.

"People like us," Jordan began. "Get very emotionally charged. Sometimes those emotions get the better of us. You saw that when we were at Hellman's house the other night. I was in a bad way and nobody stopped me. Thank god Nathan needed us to tend to him because i probably would have tortured that son of a bitch myself."

Jade shrugged. "I guess we're both very lucky to find two down to earth people to keep our insanity in check."

Jordan raised an eyebrow. "I was thinking the same thing. Might be how those two survived that hellhole. People may be intimidated by us but at the end of the day, we know who are the strongest ones of we four."

"Yeah we do," Jade nodded.

"Now that woman made it through to be with you. So how do you think she's gonna feel when she finds out she can only see you through plate glass."

Jade nodded in agreement.

"Can I ask you one more question, Jade?"

"Yeah?"

"Why? Why did you want to do this?"

Jade squirmed in her seat. "Um...because he hurt Tori...and..."

Jordan studied Jade's face. After knowing her for a couple of years, the pale woman has become an open book.

"Jade, do you feel like this is your fault?"

"You mean to tell me it isn't?" she bit back.

The redhead grabbed the brunette's hair and pressed their foreheads together. Jade tried to ignore the pain of them bumping when they touched.

"You don't want to go down this road; trust me. I've seen it destroy good people. Regret, misplaced guilt; these things ruin lives. Families.

"But if I hadn't gotten us kicked off of the plane..."

"Damn it, Jade" Jordan shouted, which stunned Jade. "Stop beating yourself up. This wasn't your fault. These things happen; to a lot of people. You usually never see them coming. What if we made it onto that plane and it crashed; then what?" she folded her arms.

Jade didn't answer but she thought good and hard.

"By your logic," she continued. "I should feel guilty because I let my husband and my partner - two people who are very important to me - out of my sight."

Jade shook her head. "But that's irrational."

"So is what you're thinking, Jade. Throwing your life away for prison won't atone you for a momentary loss of your cool. You're everything to that woman and she needs you now more than ever because she had been locked in a dungeon, needing you."

The two ladies sat in silence for almost a minute.

"Hey Jordan?" Jade asked.

"Yeah?"

"Let's go back. And hurry."


	19. Chapter 19

**A/N: Happy New Year, you beautiful people! Hope you all had a fine holiday season thought it does come with a relief that its over, too.**

**What better way to start off the day 1 of 2014 with a chapter that I know you guys will enjoy.**

**Confessions (Part 1).**

* * *

When the women returned to the hospital, they went their separate ways to tend to their respective significant others.

Jade knocked on the door to Tori's room and the half Latina turned her head in her direction and smiled brightly.

"Hey," she said.

"Hey," Jade returned the sentiment.

Tori sat up a little higher in her bed as Jade made her was to the nearby chair.

"Where were you?" Tori asked. "I missed you so much."

The pale woman smiled at her.

"I missed you, too" she said softly.

The cheeriness in Tori's face fell. "Jade..."

The Goth wouldn't look her in the eye.

"What is going on Jade?"

"I...can't..."

"Damn it, Jade. Will you just talk to me? We've been together for how long? Known each other longer than that? You still can't tell me things?"

Jade kicked the chair over, startling Tori.

"Fuck," Jade said under her breath.

"Jade?"

"This...isn't easy, Tori" Jade blurted out. "I need a minute."

The half Latina rolled her eyes. "A minute for what?"

"I know in my head that this wasn't my fault. But you know me and logic."

Tori folded her arms. "Is _this_ why you won't look at me?"

"What happened to you, Tori; I can't ignore...I...see your face and...for a second...glance at the rest of your body...and it kills my heart. I feel like I let you down."

"Jade," Tori sighed. "We had a fight. If I remember correctly, we _both_ walked away. What if it were reversed and somebody took you from me?"

Jade squeezed her eyelids tightly, tears leaking out through the narrow openings.

"Jade?" her tone grew firmer.

"Yeah, Tori?"

"Get over here _now_," she demanded.

The damn seriousness in her voice was jarring to Jade to put it mildly.

"I want to feel you next to me Jade. When I first woke up and you were laying beside me, that was what I needed. Because for days, that's exactly what I've wanted. When I was tortured, when that piece of shit was giving me permanent scars, not once did I ever blame you for my situation. In fact, I prayed every second that I would one day see you again. Even when I began to think that I was never going to make it out of there alive, something inside of me refused to ever give up."

Jade locked eyes with Tori. "Baby..."

"No," shouted Tori. "You're going to listen to me this time."

The dark haired woman nodded gravely.

"The shit that he did to me and don't even know what he _made_ me do."

Jade swallowed, nervously. She really didn't want to know the answer but she was compelled to ask.

"Like..._what_?"

Tori stretched out her hand and Jade took it, slowly making her way toward her. The bed was wide enough to accompany both their frames and Jade knew that's what Tori wanted at the moment. This wasn't going to be easy. Jade snaked her arms around Tori, who was now with her back towards her.

"Okay, Tori" Jade said, wrapping her arms around her comfortingly. "I'm not gonna leave your side again. You can tell me."

Tori took in the deepest of breaths and exhaled.

"At one point," she began. "And I emphasize this only happened once..."

"Go ahead," Jade encouraged.

"Keith...er..Hellman," she corrected herself. He didn't even deserve a last name, in her opinion. "Had Nathan and I...tied...together...and naked..." Tori turned her head and coughed. Drugs were working their way out her system still and this was the most she has talked in a while. "We were tied to a bed in...you know...missionary position..."

Jade nodded, having the visual in her head for purpose of the story.

"And...he" fresh tears began to flow. "He told us if we didn't...'fuck'...he would blow our brains out. So..."

"So...the two of you had no choice."

"What?" Tori asked, confused.

"You guys are alive because you either persevered or did what you were told. I mean, come on Tori. You're a cop, for fuck's sake." Jade rubbed Tori's forehead. "You would've said that to anybody else."

Tori rolled over until they were eye to eye. "You're not mad?"

"Tori..." Jade sighed with a sad face. "You're gay and Nate's like a brother to you. It must have been horrible."

"Actually," Tori grabbed Jade's hand and pushed them away from herself. "It was...tolerable."

Jade raised an eyebrow. "Oh?"

"When I closed my eyes, it started to feel good...I..."

"What happened when you closed your eyes?" Jade asked.

Tori wiped tears from her eyes. "I saw the two of us, no one else, making love. The...penetration I felt...I imagined you with a strap on of all things."

"Not really my style but go on."

"And that was it," Tori blurted out. "I just pictured you and me exploring our bodies, getting lost in our ecstasy. What was really going on was so ugly; the only way I could cope was to imagine it as something beautiful."

Jade nodded.

"And, just so you know, he really made the effort to not come inside of me."

"That's good at least," Jade admitted.

The pair laid there in total silence for a couple of minutes, Tori allowing Jade time to process all of this.

"Can..." Tori broke the silence. "Can you forgive me?"

"On one condition, Tori Vega" she pointed. "You promise to never leave me and love me every day."

"How can I..."

Tori's words were interrupted by Jade straddling her. Had she not been in her current, malnourished state, the officer could've easily overpowered her. But right now Jade held all of the cards and was not budging.

"Marry me, Tori."

"Are you being serious right now?" she flippantly asked.

Jade sealed her previous words with a kiss.

"That was wonderful," Tori sighed.

"I know," smirked Jade. "And there's more where that came from."

"I'm probably gonna get punched for asking this, but what changed your mind?"

Jade gave her a cold glare. "Really?"

Tori mentally cursed herself for asking that question. Definitely more of her high school self in that moment.

"I almost lost you, Tori" Jade smiled with eyes glistening from tears. "And I never want to lose you ever again. When they brought you in here, there was so much I couldn't gain access to so I could see that you were alright. If I was your wife, and you were mine, there would be no stopping us."

"Baby," Tori cooed. "Nothing can ever stop us." She then pointed to her vitals monitor. "There's the proof."

Jade bit her lip.

"I'm afraid I don't have a ring. It was kind of a split second decision."

"That's okay," Tori shook her head. "I don't need a ring to say yes."

Tori pulled Jade down by the shirt and charged her tongue into Jade's warm mouth. Her own oral organ immediately melded with Tori's. It was a wet and pink (and very frenetic) dance. The whole thing lasted about fifteen seconds but felt like a century in Heaven.

As their eager lips parted, the clearing of a throat made their hearts sink. They looked in the direction of the door and there stood Dr. Gordon, who took over rounds this time of day.

"Sorry for intruding," he blushed. "But I'm just here to check up on Tori Vega." He tilted his head. "I assume that's you down there?"

Jade quickly got off but kept a grip on Tori's hand.

The doc checked the machines and wrote on his clipboard.

"I think we're looking good," Dr. Gordon said. "We should be able to discharge by the end of the week if these trends continue. I would recommend a crisis therapist as well as some prescriptions to help with the pain and any muscle cramps."

Tori nodded. "Thanks, doc."

"Yeah, thanks" Jade added.

"I think you're on your way, Tori" he smiled. "You already have the most important thing."

Tori blinked, "What's that?"

"Some pills for the pain is nice and all but there's nothing like having a reason to live." He looked at Jade. "You gonna take good care of her?"

Jade stood up proudly, her feet planted firmly and now both hands situated firmly in Tori's own.

"Damn straight."


	20. Chapter 20

**A/N: Confessions (part 2).**

**Side note. I've been asked before about Jordan. If it helps picturing her, think of Charlize Theron in terms of presence.**

**Real quick, let me mention a very special story from a very special girl. "****Sempiternal**" by FuckTheReaper is set to become an emotional look inside somebody who knows suicide all too well. If you haven't read it, you must. The first chapter already is giving me chills. Please check it out.

* * *

Nathan was asleep when Jordan returned. She smiled at him and opted to lay down in the chair across the room. When her eyes started to close, she heard the door open. A nurse came in to inspect Nathan's bandages, vaguely ignoring Jordan.

"Excuse me," Nate said upon waking. "Where is my wife?"

"I'm right here," replied Jordan coming up behind the nurse.

He smiled at her and held out his hand.

"There you are."

"Sorry for leaving babe," she said. "But I had to take care of something."

Nate thought for a second.

"Jade?"

Jordan grinned. "Yup."

"Hopefully Tori is doing better..."

"She is. I saw her recently. Definitely close to her old self. But I've seen enough to know that she has a long road ahead of her."

Nathan nodded.

"And you?" she asked.

"I don't know."

"Is today better than yesterday?"

"Yeah," he replied. "And yesterday was leagues ahead of the day before that. That's for damn sure."

Jordan sat next to him and held his hand.

Nate sighed.

"What's wrong?" Jordan asked.

"That's two I owe you."

"For what?"

"Two times you saved my life, you know that."

The redhead leaned in close to Nate. "Never put it like that. I never did." She recalled their first meeting. "I may have said it was my duty the first time but make no mistake, the second was a decision of the heart. That was my only duty that night."

He smiled at her.

"You're right, I'm sorry."

"What did the doctors say?"

"I've got a time to go before my wound is healed," he pointed indicting his neck. "Tell me, Jordan; had the FBI talked with you or Jade?"

She shrugged. "A little. Mostly about when we last saw you two and the condition of the house."

"Oh," he nodded.

"Why do you ask?"

Nathan sighed, closing his eyes.

"There's something I need to tell you."

"What is it?" Jordan asked.

He looked into her loving eyes. These were the eyes that met with him on their wedding day. She looked so beautiful in her understated gown. He liked that it was a simple dress because everyone got to see her. Only her. It was a slender gown with emerald green accents. The bridesmaids wore green dresses to compliment the blushing bride. And the groomsmen on the other side had matching emerald vests and bowties.

Nate stared into Jordan's eyes, warm yet mysterious. You can get lost in eyes like those. The priest asked for the rings about five times before Nathan snapped out of it and turned to his best man, Carl. He whispered to him 'smooth move, exlax' as he handed the gold bands.

Once they said their vows; promising to honor and care and love and support. And to forsake all others, their hearts only for each other. As long as they both shall live. They both promised and kissed for the first time as man and wife.

Nathan had been nothing but loyal to Jordan, never giving her a moment's doubt to his fidelity. There had been the occasional offer, usually when he was by himself but he smiled and tastefully turned them down. Jordan herself had run-ins with advances, some more forward than others. Let's just say that such guys walk away with a sense of how to treat a lady.

Jordan meant the world to him. And now he was preparing to send her world crumbling. And his.

"Babe," he said softly. "Something happened...back in the basement...way before you came."

"What was it?" she asked, running her hand through his short hair. "What happened down there?"

Nate rubbed the top row of his teeth with the bottom. He always did it when he was nervous. And Jordan knew it.

"You can tell me," Jordan said encouragingly.

"I don't know if I can..." He covered his eyes. "It was terrible."

Jordan bit her lip in anticipation.

"Hellman knocked Tori and me out once and we were tied to a bed together. And he sat there, pointing a gun...watching...always watching...and he said if we didn't...uh...h...have..sex, he would kill us."

The redhead sat there as that washed over her. But then she had to ask. "Did you?"

Nathan reluctantly nodded.

He couldn't make eye contact after that.

"Babe..." Jordan started.

"No," he blurted out. "Don't do that. Don't try to gloss over what I did..."

"What the fuck would you had done? Refused?"

"I tried...but..."

Jordan gently hovered herself over Nate and kissed him. He looked back at her dumbfounded.

"I don't understand," he said.

"What's to understand?" she replied, shaking her head. "You two did what you had to do to stay alive. Thank God it was only something perverse and not something like him making you torture Tori or anything." She touched his face with her hands, trying not to move his head much on account of his neck. "I know you feel guilt but this doesn't break our vows. I bet even Jade understands that it was out of your control. Hell man the upper hand. What were you supposed to do?"

"I dunno," he sighed.

"Nathan Silver, I love you more than anything in the world. And I refuse to allow that stain make you feel like shit long after being put behind bars. He knows you and Tori were close but like siblings. You would do anything for the other and he knew that. So he made a very difficult situation. But you did the right thing."

He reached for her. "I was only thinking of you."

"I know, baby" she began to cry. "I believe you. We will do everything it takes to make it better. I will be with you the whole way. But I want you to promise me right now that you will drop this guilt. It is not your burden to bear. You did good because if you didn't you wouldn't have been able to come back to me."

Jordan kissed him again, this time for a little longer.

"So what now?" Nathan finally asked.

"Right now? Rest" she responded. "Later on...war."

* * *

**A/N: Next chapter: The trial.**


	21. Chapter 21

**A/N: And now...the trial**

**I didn't want to break this part of the story up, plus I felt my chapters were a little on the short side so here is a massive penultimate chapter.**

**One more to go after this. And I think it will be even longer.**

**Enjoy, all.**

* * *

Three months after his last victims were discovered, damaged but still alive; Keith Hellman was put on trial. In Phoenix, Arizona; the trial _The People vs. Keith Hellman_ commenced. Fighting for the plaintiffs' behalf was Assistant D.A. Benjamin Fitzgerald. And representing the defense was infamous criminal lawyer Salvatore Scagnetti. Right from the very get go, the defense tried for a please of not guilty by reason of insanity or mental defect.

Superior court judge, the Honorable Richard Bannister nodded at the opening remark from Hellman's legal counsel with indifference. He then demanded to her the People's charges.

"We are here to prove your Honor," replied Fitzgerald adjusting his tie. "That Keith Hellman knowingly and willingly carried out his actions. That he, acting under his own volition, kidnapped and detained three people with the intent to torture and eventually dispose of them."

"We will get to the sordid details in time, council" Judge Bannister retorted. "Now let us proceed."

For the next few weeks, an overwhelming array of physical evidence was presented before the judge and jury.

"May I call attention," Fitzgerald began. "To People's A through F," he pointed indicating a table with items marled with small cards that bore letters. He went down the line, "An electronic taser, white nylon rope, duct tape, a revolver, a hunting knife, and a powerful tranquilizer with syringes."

He eyes the jury, presenting each item with blue nitrile gloves.

"These items were recovered from Mr. Hellman's unmarked van..."

"Objection You Honor..." protested Scagnetti.

"Overruled," Bannister waved him off. "You may proceed."

This was Scagnetti's chief strategy, constantly calling objection. It single handedly prolonged the trial, almost to the point that Judge Bannister called Scagnetti to the stand and warned him that if he objected one more time on no grounds, he was to be removed from the courtroom and a new attorney would be appointed for Mr. Hellman. Apparently, Hellman's plan to create a mistrial was not infallible.

"Now, ladies and gentlemen, from what you see here - do these sound like the materials your average well-adjusted individual would just carry around in his vehicle on any given day?"

"Objection!"

"Sustained. Mr. Fitzgerald I would advise you to watch your candor; this is evidence and all we can see are facts. We will work out motivations and intent later on. Let's not make it a habit to... jump ahead."

"Yes, Your Honor" the Assistant D.A. nodded. He cleared his throat, looking rather contrite. He mentally told himself to tread lightly and stay away from opinion at this phase.

As the trial wore on, the time finally came for witnesses. Character witnesses were brought in for Fitzgerald to complete two goals: establish key points of behavior to help build a criminal profile and confirm that Hellman had no alibis at the time of the crimes. Sure enough, friends and coworkers were not able to corroborate Hellman's whereabouts at the time of Tori and Nate's disappearance.

It was worth noting to the jury that Hellman had been described by people who knew him as quiet, keeping to himself. But he was also meticulous almost to the point of being a nuisance. At any given time, Hellman would want to know the whereabouts of others. It bothered him whenever something was out of his control or view, even something as simple as a coworker who hadn't returned straight from lunch.

He was especially rude and dismissive when there were unexpected guests at his home. One neighbor remarked that he seemed protective and distracted, like he was always hiding something.

Finally, the time came for witnesses to his crimes, or "the survivors" as Fitzgerald called them.

Chloe Mishky was brought in and she recalled the early evening after her class broke out following a field trip to an art cinema. They were brought in by their Religion in Film professor and after the picture was over, the students dispersed because there was a free period after the class. Chloe waved at her friend, telling her that she was going to meet up with her after she called her mom. The movie theater was near a power station and it was interfering with her cell phone signal.

She wandered up the block, holding her phone before her frustrated. Chloe didn't see the dark van creeping up on her.

That was the aspect about Chloe Mishky that made her distinct. She was a local. Hellman misread her, thinking her a tourist the way she seemed to walk aimlessly around. All he saw was a young girl by herself. Vulnerable.

Chloe proceeded to describe in detail about her eleven days in captivity. Tori and Nate sat in the crowd, marveling wordlessly to one another over the capacity of this young girl's spirit. Her testimony took almost two days to tell. At one point, Hellman scoffed at an instance where Chloe told about the time he told her to remember everything that was being done to her. Because he was going to find her best friend and sister and mother and do the same to them. That was the first sign of the psychological torture setting in. She told the jury that she felt obligated to comply with him over fear of him seeking them. As long as she remained alive, he was distracted with her and her loved ones were safe.

Tori and Nate unconsciously held hands when she mentioned that, hitting horrifically close to home for them.

"What prompted you to escape?" Fitzgerald asked.

"With each passing day, it started to get more clear that he had no intention of stopping. He was never gonna stop. I was shocked about how much I was able to endure on pure nerve. But my body wouldn't last forever. Eventually, it would give up. And...then what? I mean...he had my phone, my driver's license - he knew where I live...he had my keys. What would stop him?" Chloe shook her head. "Nothing. Except for me. I couldn't protect them by staying him any longer. I had to get away, far away, to warn them."

"And how did you escape?"

Chloe blew her nose on a tissue that she had in her pocket and balled it up and shoved it back in there.

"There was a door that locked leading to the basement. And then one day, he didn't lock it. I could tell...I knew every sound of that basement by heart and the when the deadbolt locked, it made an echo. The echo never came. He seemed in a rush that day," she shrugged, "Probably late for work."

Nathan nodded, thinking that was probably where Hellman got the idea to intentionally dangle an escape in front of them to test them. Thankfully for Chloe's sake, Hellman had no idea what he had done.

"I ran," she sighed. "I felt like I ran forever. It hurt so much from the ground because I was barefoot. But I didn't care because the pain just made me run faster. It reminded me that behind me was nothing but suffering. I didn't look back once. I kept my eyes on the now."

After her testimony ended, Chloe stepped down and the court went into recess.

Tori immediately sought the girl to meet her.

"I'm Tori," she said smiling as she shook her hand.

"Chloe," she replied. "Its great to meet another one who had been there."

"I have to admit, I thought I was tough but you impressed me. No other cop I can think of has as much guts as you."

"Hate can make you feel powerful but love is stronger," she said. "All I could think of was my family. My friends."

The girl was a little surprised when the half Latina hugged her tightly and told her "Love _is_ stronger. Never forget that. Neither will I."

* * *

Some time after Tori and Nathan made their own testimonies at the end of the week, some new developments emerged from the Hellman case.

Apparently, the driver of the car that Hellman confessed to murdering the night of a torrential rain had a name. His body was recovered a long time ago but was only known in the system as John Doe #144.

Hellman's story seemed to fit a missing person's report filed years ago for a man named Harold Bishop. He was traveling home from a convention when he collided with his unfortunate destiny.

And apparently, Bishop had a wife. Her name was Gwendolyn.

Shortly after her husband's disappearance, she began searching for him. Feeling the police could only do so much, she and some friends started poking around themselves. As fate would have it, Gwen would find herself on the doorstep of the man who killed her husband. She was going door to door and he recognized who was in the missing person photo.

Without a moment's hesitation, Hellman seized the woman and dragged her into his house where he promptly killed her. Despite chopping up the body and dumping in at a landfill, Hellman knew that this turn of events would require him to relocate fast. That would be his first major moving.

The second came after Chloe's escape.

The third was attempted the night Jade and Jordan besieged his house.

So now, two murder counts were added to the roster.

When Scagnetti protested this, the jury was shown the inscribed wedding band that belonged to Gwendolyn Bishop before she was killed and cut into pieces.

The shadow of doubt was shrinking as far as the People were concerned.

On the thirty-ninth week of the trial, Fitzgerald and Scagnetti gave their closing arguments.

The next morning, everyone reported to the courtroom as word got out of the jury reaching a unanimous verdict.

* * *

"Will the defendant please rise," ordered the judge.

Hellman flicked his head and complied with a swift motion to his feet.

Fitzgerald looked on from his chair, awaiting the decision.

"Has the jury reach a verdict?" the judge inquired to the white-haired man with crinkly eyes at the far end of the jury box by the bailiff.

"He have, Your Honor" the older man nodded as he handed the paper to the bailiff who in turn handed it to the judge.

He examined it carefully and cleared his throat. "Very well," he muttered. "In the charge of the attempted murder of Nathan Silver, how do you find the defendant?"

"Guilty," the juror replied.

"To the charge of the kidnapping of Chloe Mishky..."

"Guilty."

"To the charge of the kidnapping of Nathan Silver..."

"Guilty."

"To the charge of the kidnapping of Victoria Vega..."

"Guilty."

"For the first degree murder of Harold Bishop..."

"Guilty."

"For the first degree murder of Gwendolyn Bishop..."

"We find the defendant guilty."

* * *

Our four were at an Irish pub down the street from the courthouse, savoring their victory. Tori's phone buzzed with a text from Fitzgerald, saying that he was busy with press and paperwork but promised a rain check on that drink she offered him.

The list of charges Hellman was convicted for went on and on. Two counts of murder, one count of attempted murder and five counts of kidnapping. The trouble was that these five victims amounted to a hillock of crimes and misdemeanors: 63 counts of assault and battery, 22 counts of sexual coercion, 12 counts of fraud, 4 counts of grand theft auto. The physical and sexual assault charges were separate from what was considered "torture" because they carried a heavier penalty. The charges for human torture were reserved for the emotional and psychological abuse.

When all was said and done, Keith Hellman was sentenced to 180 years in prison without the possibility of parole.

And since California (where the victims came from) and Arizona (where the crimes took place) both abolished the death penalty; life without parole was the maximum he could get.

"You must be disappointed," Jade said to Tori.

"You know what?" the half Latina remarked. "Not at all. He kept people in a box, now its his turn. Now he'll know what its like never seeing the sun, never sure if this day will be the day he dies or not, beaten up on a constant basis."

Jade really thought about it the more Tori spoke.

"If that experience has taught me anything," Nathan said. "It's that nothing is trivial and nothing should ever be taken for granted. I thank for every day I wake up and every second I spend with her," he smiled, hugging Jordan tightly to himself.

"Yeah he is," Jordan winked.

"So what now?" Nate asked.

"I dunno," Tori shrugged.

"I do," Jade squinted at Tori.

Before the tan woman could react, Jade stood up in her chair and onto the table. She remained on her knees, otherwise she'd get hit by the stained glass chandelier. Some hoots and hollers came from afar, probably some drunken fools thinking they were getting a free show.

"Jade," growled Tori as she scanned the room, embarrassed. "What the hell do you think you're doing?"

The woman with onyx hair banged her glass on the table, grabbing everybody's attention to her party. She then cleared her throat.

"Victoria Vega," she loud loud enough for everyone to hear. "I lost you more than once and the last time felt like just that. The last time. Never again; I am not letting anything take you away from me. I'll never lose my heart because its in the safest place," she smiled pointing at Tori who's hiding her face, giggling. "In fact the only thing I'm ever gonna lose is my mind when I grow old and senile. Will you be there beside me, Tori? As my bride?"

Tori nodded as fresh tears manifested in her glowing eyes.

A cacophony of applause rained down on the happy couple as Jade crawled across the table to kiss Tori.

"Congratulations," beamed Nathan.

"Finally," Jordan said as she rolled her eyes.

* * *

**A/N: Next chapter: The grand finale.  
**

**P.S. If you haven't read FuckTheReaper's new story "Sempiternal" yet, you need to. Its spellbinding in its craft and heartbreaking in how much truth is contained in it.**


	22. Chapter 22

**A/N: Here it is, the ending. Let me take a moment to thank everyone who has read this story.  
**

**So many wonderful people who followed it, named it one of their favorites very early on and of course left their reviews. They certainly kept me going.**

**I've got a few smaller projects lined up. This will be my last really long multi-chapter story for a long while. My schedule is just not allowing it, making frequent updates. **

**So I figured we go out with a bang with my longest chapter ever!**

**I'm not going anywhere soon so I'll be seeing you. **

**Love you**

**;-)**

* * *

"Tori!" Jade's teeth chattered. "I don't know why the fuck you chose the coldest place for a honeymoon."

Tori just smiled at her newly wedded wife. She wanted to see her honey but focused on the road. They flew from their wedding, where half the LAPD was in attendance, to Burlington, Vermont. The half Latina warned Jade to dress warm and took her shopping just for the occasion. Naturally, the Goth rolled her eyes and disregarded the friendly caution.

Now, she was suffering the consequences. Jade rubbed her hands up and down her arms.

"You know," Tori began. "I heard that rubbing your arms won't keep you warm. You have to rub your chest."

"Get me out of this arctic wasteland or you'll never rub _my_ chest ever again."

Tori scoffed. "I don't know what you're complaining about. I'm all toasty in my authentic Irish wool sweater from Dublin," she winked.

"Well, this stupid hoodie isn't cutting it. Where the hell are these damn winter clothes we bought weeks ago?" she demanded.

"Packed," Tori replied. "Sorry. We're almost there."

The silver Volkswagen Passat they rented across from the airport traversed the winding road. The nearest town had passed and it was nothing but hills and valleys.

"There," Tori pointed at a big house at the top of a big hill. They parked and got out.

Tori's eyes lit up at the beautiful mountains in the distance. It was like something out of a fairy tale.

"Oh my god, Jade!" she squealed, pulling Jade by the arm. "Would you just look at this?"

Jade groaned at her jubilant wife.

"Ugh, you're not gonna get all Julie Andrews on me are you?"

"Alright, Miss Grumpy" Tori pouted playfully. "Let's get our things."

* * *

Tori opened the door, propping it open with her foot as Jade entered with her bags. Once she parked them inside, she held the door for Tori to move her own luggage in. The foyer was fully carpeted with dark cherry wood on the walls and ceilings that opened up into a spacious living room. It was very warm and inviting. Jade rubbed her hands together, already feeling them again.

Tori looked around and rung the little bell on the counter. Some fumbling was heard and a plump woman in her late fifties emerged through the door and smiled from behind the counter.

"Good afternoon," the hostess said. "I'm Anne. And welcome to La Roue Bed and Breakfast. May I help you?"

"Yes," Tori smiled as she dug through her pockets. "We are the Vega-West reservation."

"That's _West-Vega_," pointed Jade.

The older woman checked her computer and got excited.

"Are you two married?" she asked.

Tori showed the ring on her left hand.

"Excuse me," Anne told them. She went back through the door and came back with a thinner, tall woman with glasses. "Look, Agatha" she beamed. "It's the newlyweds."

Agatha covered her mouth and held Anne's hand. "Oh, look at them. So young."

Anne shook Jade and Tori's hands. "Well, just congratulations to you both. I hope your stay is the very best and thank you for choosing our humble place for your honeymoon."

"It's really beautiful here," Tori said.

"Got any coffee?" Jade asked.

"Oh yes," Agatha replied. "Just follow me. You ladies can leave your bags."

Tori and Jade were led into a big room with two long tables with wooden chairs surrounding them. Along the wall was a counter with baskets and cups and several coffee machines. One was on and there were two full pots of regular next to a pot of decaf.

"When you come down in the morning," Agatha said. "These baskets will be full of fruit and bagels and muffins. Plus there will be the food from the kitchen of course. A little bird told me that somebody loves chocolate chip pancakes and bacon."

Tori stiffened and looked at her wife.

Jade shot Tori a look and winked. "I'm sure it was a very pretty bird."

"Ah, here we are" Agatha remarked grabbing the steaming hot pot and pouring it into a yellow mug. "There you are," she said handing it to Jade.

"I'm so freaking cold," she sighed. "This better be the best tasting coffee in the world."

Jade took a long sip and stared off into space.

She looked right at Agatha. "You got lucky."

Tori reached for the mug for a taste and Jade pulled it away. "You should know better."

Agatha laughed. "I like her."

"Sometimes I do too," Tori shot back.

The raven haired woman stuck her tongue out and continued to walk and drink.

* * *

After Jade took a hot shower, snuggled under the thick flannel sheets and took a nap from the car ride.

Tori decided to call Jordan. She saw the land phone and called L.A.

"Hello?"

She smiled.

"Hey girl." Tori began to pace around the room as far as the cord would allow. "Oh, we just got here. This place is no joke; you two need to come here. Its beautiful and its only gonna get better." She looked at Jade's sleeping form. She was snoring very quietly like a little baby. "Yeah, she's asleep. Once you get the woman her coffee and get her temperature up, she's happy as a clam."

Tori scoffed at Jordan's comment.

"Real nice," she said putting her hand on her hip. "But that's not why I picked Vermont." Tori took a quick look at Jade and went around the corner to where the bathroom was so she was out of ear shot. "It was perfect. We would be inside the whole time and there's shitty cell reception because of these mountains. And that's not even the best part." She laughed. "Look, Jordan I don't want to stay took long calling clear across the country. Thanks again for the gift. Okay, babe. Love you, bye."

Tori quietly tip toed back to the nightstand and put the receiver back on its cradle.

She then walked over to the big window and looked at the glorious scenery in front of her. Picking up the remote, Tori swiftly turned on the TV and hit the mute button. After searching aimlessly she found the weather channel. They gave the 36-hour forecast and the half Latina grinned widely.

"Perfect," she muttered under her breath.

* * *

Tori stood in the shower, illuminated by amber colored recessed lighting. She felt the warm water pelt her skin, little droplets finding every delicate contour on her body as they move downward toward the drain.

Normally, she relished an almost scalding hot shower but these days she took it easy on the temperature of the water. The burns on her body haven't completely healed (and doctors said they never will) and there was no way Tori was going to be talked into a skin graft. She didn't want to go under the knife for anything. Tori was nervous about her scars. Jade and her haven't made love since she was found.

It was understandable at first because it was so soon and her body needed time to repair itself from other aspects of her ordeal. But as time went by with preparing for the trial and after that - planning the wedding - it was just forgotten about. So now, it was back to being awkward again because now too much time had past.

_"I don't know about this,"_ she told herself.

The therapist she had been seeing for the last few months had been helpful with guiding her through the post-traumatic landmines. She had often brought up the subject of intimacy with Jade. She told Tori that it was up to her but she couldn't let fear of no longer being beautiful to her lover be the roadblock. There was time to heal but Tori couldn't hide behind that in place of facing her fears.

She got out of the shower and stared at herself in the mirror. Tori ran her fingers along the burns left by Hellman on her tender flesh. One on her right upper thigh, two along her stomach, one between her breasts, one on the left side of her neck. And there were several along her arms. Tori countered with facing that reality by wearing long sleeves.

* * *

After Jade woke up, Tori told her to get dressed. They were going out on their first dinner as a married couple. It needn't be anything fancy, especially given the fact it was 26 degrees outside.

Tori wore a white puffy winter coat and thick pants like skiers wear. Jade had something similar, only her coat was black. Going into town, the pair looked like a couple of snow bunnies who wandered from the slopes. They stopped in front of a seafood restaurant and despite the place being packed they were seated within ten minutes.

"So, did you sleep alright?" Tori asked.

Jade was nodding because she was chewing a piece of bread from the basket.

"Good," she said finally able to swallow. "Hey, Tor...I'm sorry I was such a bitch on the way here. You did pick a nice place." She then winked. "Don't think I didn't overhear about the cell reception comment."

Tori blushed for a second. "Oh, you did?"

"Uh-huh," she grinned. "Nobody can bother us and," Jade licked her lips as she caressed Tori thigh underneath the table. "Baby, its cold outside."

"E-E-exactly," Tori stuttered, honestly getting hot and bothered from Jade's advances. "This whole week will about staying warm."

"I like when you warm me up," Jade popping the p for effect. "You're always warm, I love waking up to you, your brown eyes are hypnotic, and when I see someone come close to us I cling you tightly because you're all mine."

Tori shook her head. "I don't know if you described me or coffee."

"That's just it!" Jade slammed her hand on the table, making the salt and pepper shakers rattle. "I said in a video once on The Slap _years ago _that if coffee was a person, I would marry this person."

The half Latina laughed, recalling that video. Soon after that, their food began to arrive.

In the middle of eating Tori began to look a little sad and tried to brush it off but Jade saw right through her.

"What's the matter, baby?" she asked.

Tori shrugged, now just pushing her New England Clam Chowder around.

"I don't know. I just had this vision of my dad walking me down the aisle and it hurt that he wasn't even there at all."

Jade's face softened and she touched the tan woman's hand.

"Sweetheart, he was there. He wouldn't let anything miss him from watching his girl get married."

"You think so?" Tori asked.

Jade nodded. "And I bet that Trina was watching you too that day. They couldn't miss you. You looked so beautiful there. Like a princess from a storybook."

Tori sniffed and smiled.

"And Trina would never say no to a party," Jade added.

"No she wouldn't" Tori shook her head. "Thanks Jade."

"Anytime."

* * *

They returned to their room at about 9 p.m. As guests, they were given a spare key to the front door so they could let themselves in and out outside business hours.

Jade led Tori to the bed and started kissing her deeply. They started standing and ended up on the bed, never breaking contact. After five solid minutes of making out, Jade broke the connection and smiled.

"What?" Tori asked.

"Can't I ogle my own wife?"

Tori held Jade tighter and kissed her neck.

"Hold that thought," said Jade as she jumped off the bed and ran to the bathroom, taking a bag in with her.

"What are you doing?" Tori asked, rolling over to the edge of the bed.

Muffled, Jade's voice came from behind the door. "Give me a minute, babe."

Tori shrugged and checked her phone for messages. Still scarce in the old inbox but there were some. She figured a text required less of a signal rather than a constant digital phone call. She then started flipping through her camera roll. Luckily, police managed to salvage her personal photos from Hellman's computer and port them back onto her new phone. She accidentally hit the button to return to camera when Tori caught sight of Jade standing in front of her.

The half Latina dropped the phone onto the floor in shock.

Jade was wearing a turquoise neglige that was see-through. She was clearly without bra and panties.

Tori felt her heart stop as Jade pounced on top of her like a jungle cat.

"What's wrong?" Jade asked still in the heat of the moment.

"I'm...just nervous about..."

"I'm sorry," she interrupted.

That surprised Tori. "What do you mean you're sorry?"

"It's been too long," Jade bit her lip. "I was trying to give you space because of...everything...and before I knew it half a year past and then...it was too uncomfortable to talk about...and then more time past and that just made it worse..."

Tori pulled Jade down to kiss her.

"Jade," she smiled. "I was scared, too."

"I feel like this should be the best night of our lives - it's your honeymoon - and I feel like I've fucked it up because..."

Tori shushed her with her finger.

"Baby, it's _our_ honeymoon. And I've got the best thing in the world right in front of me." Tori's light started to fall. "I only hope being what you deserve."

"What are you talking about?" Jade asked, sitting up hands on her hips.

"Okay, close your eyes."

"What's this all about?"

"Just do it!" Tori demanded.

The raven haired woman sighed and covered her eyes with her hands. She could feel the movement near her, like somebody was undressing. Then the movement stopped. It was silent for a solid minute.

"Tori?" she called out.

"I'm here," Tori replied. "Open your eyes."

Jade pulled her hands down and opened her eyelids and saw a naked Tori standing beside the bed with her back towards her.

"Baby, are you okay?" Jade asked.

The half Latina just shook her head.

"I couldn't look most days myself," she said softly. She turned around and looked down at her burns. "I'm hideous, admit it."

Jade said nothing as she crawled to the edge of the bed and hugged her tightly, her hair falling on Tori's breasts. She then looked into her eyes.

"Hold still," Jade ordered.

She then proceeded to slowly and affectionately kiss each and every lesion left by that monster. Jade each ugly mark love and attention. When she finished with the highest one, located on the neck, Jade brought her lips to Tori's ear.

"Every one of these was because of you holding on. If you haven't," Jade started top cry. "None of this would be a reality. To me they don't detract from my image of you. They reinforce it. You are the strongest woman I have ever known and you went through hell so that we could be together. I don't love you any less, Tori West-Vega, I love you even more."

Jade then pulled her onto the bed and nuzzled her close.

"And now, let me make love to you."

"Only if I can do the same for you," Tori said wiping her tears.

Tori's breath hitched when warm digits found their way in her center.

"A deal's a deal," Jade purred.

* * *

An hour of hot, wet tenderness later...

"Jesus Christ!" Tori exclaimed, biting her fist to keep the noise down.

"Told you I'd make you see Heaven," Jade said licking her lips. "You taste amazing."

Brown eyes blinked. "Okay, that's both the sexiest and strangest thing you've ever said in bed."

"Under the sheets, I tell the truth" she winked.

"Feeling sleepy yet Jadey?"

Jade raised an eyebrow. "Sleepy? I could go for another bout."

"Or two?"

"You're on, muchacha."

* * *

Jade woke up and rolled over, touching the other side of the bed. Her eyes snapped open and she was disturbed by Tori not being there. The raven haired woman sat up and saw the curtains were covering the windows. She looked at the clock and it said 8:55 a.m.

A part of her was grateful because she detested waking up to a big bright light pouring through the windows. She'd rather be woken up by coffee.

_"Speaking of which,"_ she mused.

The pale woman quickly leapt out of bed and put on her black and white long pant pajamas with matching black cat slippers. She bounded down the stairs to find Tori sitting in the dining room talking to the proprietors.

"There she is," Tori said turning to her wife with a big smile. "Sleep well?"

"Yeah," Jade nodded while single mindedly going for the fresh pot of joe. She closed her eyes and smelled the warm deliciousness in her cup. Upon opening her eyes, Jade's heroic first sip of the day began to taper off. Her eyes grew wide as she stared out the window.

In a dash, she slammed her coffee down and ran toward the door. Tori was in hot pursuit.

Jade stopped completely in the doorway. Her jaw dropped at the slow snowfall. The didn't say a thing; she just stood there. Suddenly, Tori came up behind her and put her heavy coat around her shoulders. Jade held onto Tori's hands tightly before letting go to accept the coat.

Running out into the blizzard, Jade spun around like a child overwhelmed on Christmas morning. It was almost like the dancing of a ballerina in an old jewelry box. Jade smiled as she brushed the fresh powder off her sleeves. She tilted her head and opened her mouth to taste the snowflakes.

Tori admired the woman she married. Thirty years young transformed into six in an instant. Jade started palling up snow and throwing it in the air. Then the wheels in her head began to turn and she started rolling up a massive orb of snow.

The half Latina took out her phone and started recording video of her love frolicking in this winter wonderland.

"Just in case nobody believes me," Tori told the camera. "Here is Jade West making a snowman."

As she watched this heartwarming scene unfold, Tori couldn't help but imagine the music from the end of _Edward Scissorhands_ swelling up.

All this time, Jordan thought her and Nate's gift was the honeymoon. Actually, it was for what was happening right now. This very moment. And it was perfect.

It was perfect and all hers.

And she dared anyone to take it from her.


End file.
